Department for Transport

Great British Railways: Stockton-on-Tees

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of locating the national headquarters of Great British Railways in Stockton.

Wendy Morton: The Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT) is currently overseeing a process to select a national headquarters for Great British Railways. 42 expressions of interest were received by the deadline of Wednesday 16 March 2022, from towns and cities across Great Britain, including one from Stockton-on-Tees. GBRTT are now assessing these using the published criteria. A shortlist of the most suitable locations to go to an online consultative public vote will be announced in May. Ministers will then make a final decision on the headquarters location.

Relocation Services

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues in the (a) Home Office and (b) Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on the potential merits of establishing cross-border relocation services to the UK.

Andrew Stephenson: The Secretary of State is in regular contact with Ministers across government on a variety of issues.

High Speed 2 Line: Leeds

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects the study to find a way of bringing HS2 trains from East Midlands Parkway to Leeds to be completed.

Andrew Stephenson: The Terms of Reference for the Leeds Study, which will be evaluating the most effective way to route high-speed trains to Leeds and capacity solutions at Leeds station and the surrounding area, are due to be published shortly. The study is expected to take 18 months.

Local Transport Plans: Carbon Emissions

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to (a) the Transport Decarbonisation Plan and (b) the Net Zero Strategy, how local transport authorities which are developing Local Transport Plans should proceed with developing locally based transport sector decarbonisation targets.

Trudy Harrison: The Transport Decarbonisation Plan committed to drive decarbonisation and transport improvements at a local level by making quantifiable carbon reductions a fundamental part of local transport planning and funding. Following a public consultation, the updated Local Transport Plan guidance will be published in 2022. Alongside this, we will publish additional guidance on quantifiable carbon reductions, to help local authorities make decisions on local transport interventions from quantitative assessment of carbon impacts at a strategic planning stage.

Local Transport Plans

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will be consulting on the guidance on Local Transport Plans;  and when this guidance will be published.

Trudy Harrison: The Department will consult on the draft Local Transport Plans guidance and is aiming to having the final guidance in place as soon as possible.

Ferries

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a certificate approval process to operate through the Maritime and Coastguard Agency for ferry services operating to and from UK ports.

Robert Courts: The government does not own or control licenses for ferry operators to be able to enter UK ports, that is a commercial relationship between ship and port operators.

Shipping

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will introduce a statutory maximum continuous working provision for vessels under UK jurisdiction.

Robert Courts: Seafarer working time and rest hours are set by international law in the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (known as STCW) and Maritime Labour Convention (MLC).

Railways: Digital Technology

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of digital platforms that map both rail journeys and intermodal travel.

Wendy Morton: In February, the Department launched a consultation on Mobility as a Service which is currently live. The responses will feed into the development of a code of practice to help maximise the benefits of digital platforms for users.Our vision, set out in the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail, is for closer integration between all forms of public transport. Great British Railways will also explore including other transport modes in its website and app to support seamless journeys.

Railways: Tickets

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on single ticketing regardless of rail operator; and what steps he has taken to advance intermodal single ticketing, including to e-bikes and e-scooters.

Wendy Morton: The Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail proposes the biggest shake-up of rail in a generation. This includes the creation of a new public body, Great British Railways (GBR), which will run the network in the public interest. GBR will use its leadership role to simplify the current mass of complicated fares and tickets.We will continue to push forward with trials to facilitate the ambition of the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail for simpler fares, including single leg pricing, which allows for better value and flexibility for consumers. A trial on single leg pricing on LNER commenced in January 2020 and an update will be provided in due course.Great British Railways will also explore including other transport modes in its website and app to support seamless journeys.

Ferries: Minimum Wage

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has held with the port authority on the potential merits of giving them statutory powers to refuse access to regular ferry services which do not pay their crew the national minimum wage.

Robert Courts: Government is engaging with port authorities on this issue. To ensure that seafarers are being treated fairly, the Government is giving British port authorities new statutory powers to ensure all regular ferry services must comply with National Minimum Wage law.

Ferries: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he will take to ensure a minimum number of UK ratings and officers employed on all ferry operators docking in UK ports.

Robert Courts: We have announced a nine-point plan to address the appalling way P&O have acted. This includes closing legal loopholes which allow ferry operators to undercut British workers.The measures will also step up enforcement of existing laws, financially penalise companies which fire and rehire, and work with international partners to create minimum wage corridors.We will work together to explore the creation of minimum wage corridors between our nations, as well as asking unions and operators to agree a common level of seafarer protection on these routes.

Ferries: Minimum Wage

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport,  with reference to the oral statement of 30 March 2022 on P&O Ferries, whether free ports will be covered by the new statutory powers to refuse access to regular ferry services that do not pay their crew the national minimum wage.

Robert Courts: Amendments to the Harbours Act will ensure all UK ports must refuse entry to any regular ferry service not paying the minimum wage.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Felicity Buchan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that the electric vehicle charging network is (a) comprehensive and (b) user friendly.

Trudy Harrison: Our infrastructure strategy will ensure public chargepoints are in place to support those without off-street parking and to enable long distance journeys.Of the £2.5 billion of Government funding committed to the EV transition since 2020, over £1.6 billion will be used to support charging infrastructure.Our infrastructure strategy will ensure public chargepoints are in place to support those without off-street parking and to enable long distance journeys. We expect at least ten times more public chargepoints to be installed across the UK by the end of the decade, bringing the number to around 300,000 by 2030.Drivers will benefit from easier payment methods as well as the ability to compare prices and access real-time information about chargepoints. We will ensure there is a 99% reliability rate at rapid chargepoints. Chargepoints will need to have open data so that they are easy to find using maps and apps.To ensure that the transition to electric vehicles takes place in every part of the country, we are pledging at least £500m to support local chargepoint provision. As part of this, the £450m Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) fund will support local authorities to work with industry and transform the availability of charging for drivers without off-street parking. We have launched a £10m pilot as a springboard for the development of the full fund.

Bus Services: Franchises

Mr Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to simplify and streamline the process for bus franchising.

Trudy Harrison: The Transport Act 2000 (as amended by the Bus Services Act 2017) provides access to franchising powers to all Mayoral Combined Authorities in England. These powers enable them to implement franchised bus services in their areas, following the completion of a franchising assessment and consultation process. The Department is currently revising the existing guidance – “The Bus Services Act 2017 Franchising Scheme Guidance”, published in November 2017, to provide updated detailed advice on the franchising process. The revised version will be published as soon as possible.

Bus Services: West Midlands

Mr Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to establish a long term, enhanced and devolved approach to funding bus services in the West Midlands.

Trudy Harrison: On 04 April 2022, the Government allocated £87.9m of indicative Bus Service Improvement Plan funding to West Midlands Combined Authority to deliver London-style services, fares and infrastructure improvements to their bus network. West Midlands Combined Authority has an enhanced partnership in place and is currently conducting an assessment exploring whether to pursue bus franchising in future.The West Midlands will also receive over £1bn in a five-year funding deal from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement to help deliver transformational transport programmes, which includes bus rapid transit corridors in this area.

Railways

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps Great British Railways is taking to ensure that rail services connect with other modes of transport; and what technology he plans to use to support a seamless passenger experience.

Wendy Morton: The Great British Railways Transition Team is clear on the importance of rail integrating with other modes of transport, as emphasised in the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail. Their recent call for evidence for the Whole Industry Strategic Plan, a 30-year strategy for the rail sector, sought responses on a range of topics including passenger experience, technology and modal integration. They are analysing responses ahead of the Call for Evidence Report shortly.

Railways: Bicycles

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of rail operators increasing provision to allow travellers to take bicycles on trains.

Wendy Morton: In the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail and the Gear Change Cycling and Walking Strategy the government committed to increasing space for cycles on existing trains wherever practically possible and to include more cycle spaces on all future train fleets. We will assess the merits of different levels of provision before we require operators to increase provision for the carriage of cycles on trains.

Buses: Exhaust Emissions

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the announcement of 26 March 2022 on Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas scheme, where those buses will be built.

Trudy Harrison: On 26 March 2022 the Department for Transport announced £198.3 million of funding from the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme to 12 local transport authorities, supporting the introduction of 943 zero emission buses and associated infrastructure.Orders for zero emission buses will be placed by local transport authorities or bus operators. UK bus manufactures are well placed to secure orders for zero emission buses from the ZEBRA scheme.

Buses: Exhaust Emissions

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the criteria used to decide the proportion of funding allocated under the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas scheme.

Trudy Harrison: The business case applications were assessed against criteria published by the Department - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apply-for-zero-emission-bus-fundingFunding was awarded to successful areas upon the basis of this assessment.

Railways: Finance

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 28 February 2022 to Question 131291 on Railways: Finance, and with reference to the RIA Progress Review: Trains fit for the future, published 28 March 2022, which recommends as a point of urgency an updated Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline (RNEP), when his Department plans to publish an updated RNEP.

Wendy Morton: We remain committed to publishing the RNEP update and providing as much clarity and certainty as possible on rail enhancements and will set out our plans shortly.

Manchester Airport: India

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2022 to Question 143828, on Manchester Airport: India, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of using the Air Route Development Fund to establish direct connectivity between Manchester airport and (a) New Delhi and (b) Mumbai.

Robert Courts: Airports and airlines operate in a competitive market, and it is for airlines to determine the routes they operate based on their own assessment of whether routes are commercially viable.A government-funded Air Route Development Fund does not exist, and there are no plans to develop such a fund to support international connectivity.

Aviation: Compensation

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that potential reforms to flight compensation regulations do not result in a lower level of compensation for customers.

Robert Courts: The Aviation Consumer Policy Reform Consultation explored a range or reforms to protect consumers whilst ensuring fairness for both consumers and businesses. It included proposals for new and extended compensation for customers, such as for mobility aid damage and for delays to domestic flights of less than 3 hours. The consultation has now closed, and we have received responses from across industry, consumer groups and the general public. We are now conducting a comprehensive review and analysis of the responses and will set out next steps in due course.

Railway Stations: Sheffield

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will review the design of the proposed shelter for Platform 2 of Dore & Totley station in response to concerns that it is too small and has not been futureproofed for future commuter and leisure travel.

Wendy Morton: I understand that Northern has responded directly to the Honourable Member on this matter.

Highway Code: Publicity

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2022 to Question 141256 on Highway Code: Publicity, if he will provide a further breakdown of spending under the £160 thousand allocated to Production - Radio and Social Assets (Including fees and research); and what proportion of this total was spent on designing social media graphics.

Trudy Harrison: Agency Fees£88,350.00Design and Production of Social Assets£24,000.00Voice Over (Radio and Social)£13,800.00Post Production, Play Out, Legal, Translation and Toolkit£9,000.00Creative Research£20,250.00  £155,400.00

Ferries: Trade Union Recognition

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to introduce trade union recognition as a condition of licence for ferry operators.

Robert Courts: The Government already has legislation in place to cover trade union recognition.

Peter Hebblethwaite

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason he did not  seek a court order to disqualify Peter Hebblethwaite under Section 8, Section 12(c) and Schedule 1 of the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986.

Robert Courts: In light of CEO Peter Hebblethwaite’s admission to Parliament that P&O Ferries knowingly broke the law, the Transport Secretary has written to the Insolvency Service to request they consider striking him off as a company leader and director. You will be aware that following a request from the Secretary of State for Business, the Insolvency Service has now commenced civil and criminal investigations into the conduct of P&O Ferries and I will continue to follow the matter closely as these investigations progress

DP World and P&O Ferries: Contracts

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to review public sector contracts with (a) P&O Ferries and (b) DP World.

Robert Courts: Government is urgently undertaking a thorough review all the contracts currently in place with P&O Ferries and DP World.

P&O Ferries: Safety

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure P&O Ferries publish safety risk assessments on the vessels operated by the company.

Robert Courts: The International Safety Management (ISM) Code requires ship operators, such as P&O Ferries, to assess all identified risks to their ships, personnel and environment and establish appropriate safeguards. This aspect is reviewed during safety management audits both at the ship operators’ offices and on board their ships; any non-conformances identified would need to be rectified.The port State control regime allows Marine Surveyors from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to inspect foreign-registered ships in UK ports to verify that the condition of the ship and its equipment comply with the requirements of international regulations and that the ship is manned and operated in compliance with these rules. There is no requirement to make these assessments public.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what payments have been under the Government’s Renewable Heat Incentive scheme in each of (a) 2020 and (b) 2021.

Greg Hands: The Government’s Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme payments are accounted for by financial year (FY), ending 31 March. In terms of committed payments, which include actual payments made and expected payments due but not yet claimed for, our latest estimation is that committed payments for FY2020/21 are £917m and £992m for FY2021/22.

Aquind

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has been contacted by Aquind Limited or its representatives on his decision not to approve the project; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands: An application for judicial review has been made on behalf of Aquind Limited in respect of the Secretary of State’s decision of 20 January 2022 to refuse development consent for the AQUIND Interconnector. The Government will not make any further statement on this matter as it is an ongoing legal process.

Energy: North Sea

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential capacity of the North Sea to assist with (a) ensuring a low cost and low carbon footprint and (b) energy security for the UK.

Greg Hands: The North Sea will play an important role in enabling Government to meet the UK’s Carbon Budget 6 and net zero targets whilst delivering low-cost electricity for consumers. 11.3GW of offshore wind is already operating in the UK, the majority of which is in the North Sea with around a further 32GW under construction, or in earlier stages of development in UK waters. Further seabed leases totalling around 25GW were awarded to wind projects in the North Sea in the recent ScotWind leasing round. The Government has since published the British Energy Security Strategy, which sets out how the UK will become more self-sufficient, bolstering our energy security.

Energy: Standing Charges

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2022 to Question 145873 on Energy: Standing Charges, whether maintenance on infrastructure accounts for a proportion of the rise in the standing charges.

Greg Hands: Standing charges are a daily fixed amount paid for the supplying of gas and electricity. It varies by region due to the different costs to transport power. The charge pays for the costs that are fixed for a supplier on a per customer basis. Including service administration fees, connections to and maintenance of energy networks and Government schemes to help reduce carbon emissions and fuel poverty. The standing charge is passed on to consumers as a flat rate per day rather than as a percentage charge based on how much energy they use. More information can be found at https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/information-consumers/energy-advice-households/check-if-energy-price-cap-affects-you.

Energy: Meters

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of households that have a pre-payment (a) gas and (b) electricity meter in (i) Stockport constituency, (ii) the Borough of Stockport, (iii) Greater Manchester, (iv) the North West and (v) England.

Greg Hands: Regional data on electricity customers on prepayment tariffs are published as part of the Quarterly Energy Prices statistical series here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/quarterly-energy-prices#2022. Energy data is not collated at a constituency level.

Electricity: Meters

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, (a) how many prepayment electricity meters are currently in use in Liverpool Walton and (b) what the average number of prepayment electricity meters is in England constituencies.

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, (a) how many prepayment gas meters are currently in use in Liverpool Walton and (b) what the average number of prepayment gas meters is in England constituencies.

Greg Hands: Regional data on the proportion of customers on prepayment tariffs is published as part of the Quarterly Energy Prices statistical series, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/quarterly-energy-prices#2022. Data is not collected at the constituency level.

P&O Ferries: Redundancy

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Prime Minister's oral answer to the Rt Hon Keir Starmer MP on 23rd March 2022 when he confirmed legal action was being taken against P & O ferries under the Trade Union and labour relations act 1992 and the Employment Rights Act 1996, if he will confirm (a) the nature of the legal actions commenced, and (b) when those actions were commenced.

Paul Scully: The way that P&O Ferries acted is unacceptable. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote to the Insolvency Service on 23 March asking it to undertake an urgent and thorough enquiry into the actions of P&O Ferries, to determine whether the law has been complied with and consider prompt and appropriate action where it has not. The Insolvency Service has confirmed it has initiated formal civil and criminal investigations into the circumstances surrounding the redundancies made by P&O Ferries. While these investigations are being progressed it would not be appropriate to make further comment.

Bounce Back Loan Scheme: Fraud

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has allocated resources to recover the money lost to fraud as part of the Bounce Back Loan Scheme; and what his planned timeframe is for recovering those funds.

Paul Scully: BEIS is committed to recovering money from fraudulent applications under the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) as soon as reasonably practicable given the nature and stage of the scheme. We seek recoveries in numerous ways.Lenders are responsible for undertaking recovery action once it becomes due in the first instance, whether fraud or otherwise.Whilst lenders are the first line of defence, the National Intelligence Service (NATIS) supplements our capacity to investigate the most serious cases of fraud. In the current financial year, NATIS (for all matters including BBLS) has already recovered over £3 million. HM Treasury has also recently announced an additional £13.2m for NATIS which will double their investigative capacity on Bounce Back Loans.The enforcement strategy also includes utilising Insolvency Service (INSS) resource to investigate misconduct in relation to insolvency and corporate abuse which, like NATIS, is designed to drive recoveries and set a deterrent to those who intend to abuse the scheme. For cases arising out of Bounce Back Loan abuse this includes director disqualification, bankruptcy restrictions, winding up companies operating against the public interest and criminal prosecution.We are also taking steps to prevent companies attempting to dissolve with an outstanding BBL by blocking such applications, forcing companies to use legitimate liquidation processes thus improving recovery prospects.

Electronic Commerce

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that online marketplaces follow the same safety regulations as other UK retailers.

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, to what steps his Department is taking to ensure that electrical goods offered for sale on online marketplaces by third party sellers are safe for use in the UK.

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what consideration he has given to the potential of merits of obligating sellers to ensure that any electrical products reported as unsafe by purchasers can be removed from the site within 24 hours.

Paul Scully: Existing product safety legislation places obligations on manufacturers, importers, and distributors to ensure that consumer products, including electrical goods, are safe before being placed on the UK market. This applies to products sold online and offline. The Government recognises that the growth of e-commerce, and particularly the sale of products by third-party sellers on marketplaces, presents a significant challenge. This challenge is a key aspect of a review of the Product Safety framework being conducted by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS). A call for evidence to inform the review was carried out last year: (https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/uk-product-safety-review-call-for-evidence). Following on from this, a consultation, including proposals to further tackle the sale of unsafe goods online, will be published later this year. Alongside the Product Safety Review, OPSS is leading a national programme of regulatory action to tackle the risks from unsafe and non-compliant goods sold on online marketplaces, including those sold by third party sellers. In 2021, 12,500 products were removed from supply due to OPSS interventions. OPSS has also expanded its test purchase programme, targeting, and assessing the compliance of products sold online by third parties, and continues to raise consumer awareness about the product safety risks when buying online.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the terms of the indemnity against product liability given to Pfizer for the manufacture and supply of covid-19 vaccines are conditional upon the provision of accurate information on the results of trials of that vaccine undertaken prior to the start of the contract with that company; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman: We are not able to disclose the details of some clauses of contracts between the Government and vaccine manufacturers as this information is commercially sensitive.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the terms of the indemnity against product liability given to the manufacturers and suppliers of covid-19 vaccines are different for (a) booster vaccines and (b) first and second doses; and whether the same indemnity applies to all age groups.

George Freeman: We are not able to disclose the details of some clauses of contracts between the Government and vaccine manufacturers as this information is commercially sensitive.

P&O Ferries: Directors

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make a disqualification order against the chief executive of P&O Ferries.

Paul Scully: The Insolvency Service has commenced formal investigations into the circumstances surrounding the recent redundancies made by P&O Ferries. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State does not have the power to make a disqualification order; these are made by the courts if the relevant legal tests are met.

Trade Unions: Electronic Voting

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February to Question 117804, what recent discussions he has had with relevant organisations regarding electronic balloting.

Paul Scully: We have consulted relevant organisations, including professionals from expert associations, to seek their advice and recommendations. We are now finalising our consideration of the recommendations of Sir Ken Knight’s e-balloting review before we issue our response in due course.

Re-employment

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Written Statement of 29 March 2022, HCWS735 on Business Update, whether the Statutory Code will provide protection to workers as well as employees.

Paul Scully: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy will bring forward a statutory code of practice on dismissal and reengagement. Under section 204 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, the Secretary of State is required to publish a draft and consider any representations. The Department will engage with trade unions as part of that consultation. The scope of the Code and its remedies will be in accordance with the provisions of the Act. Legislation to lay the Code will be introduced when parliamentary time allows and will be subject to the affirmative resolution procedure.

St David's Day: Public Holidays

Virginia Crosbie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the Welsh (a) economy and (b) tourism industry of denoting St. David's Day as a bank holiday.

Paul Scully: The Government has no current plans to change the well-established and accepted arrangements for bank holidays in the UK. The Government remains committed to working together with all the Devolved Administrations to ensure that the UK’s institutions are working collectively as one United Kingdom.

Development Aid: Ukraine

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether any of his Department’s spending in response to the Ukraine crisis will be accounted for as Official Development Assistance.

George Freeman: The Department’s spending on energy generators, donated to Ukraine, will be accounted for as Official Development Assistance.

Attorney General

Prosecutions

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Attorney General, what discussions she had with relevant stakeholders prior to implementing the recent changes to the Crown Prosecution Service Director’s Guidance on Charging.

Alex Chalk: The Director’s Guidance on Charging is issued by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) under section 37A of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. The current version of the Director’s Guidance is the sixth version of Guidance that was first published in 2004.The Director’s Guidance recognises the significant changes in the way that cases are investigated, charged, and prosecuted since the last edition was published in 2013.Those changes include, in particular, the provisions of the 8th Edition of the Code for Crown Prosecutors published in October 2018, the Attorney General’s Guidelines on Disclosure 2020 and the revised Codes of Practice issued in 2020 under the Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996​.The CPS consulted police forces through the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) on the contents of the Director’s Guidance before its publication in December 2020. That consultation included the sharing of initial drafts with all police forces via the NPCC, Police and Crime Commissioners and the Senior Presiding Judge. That was followed by the establishment of a joint CPS/police working group to discuss and where appropriate amend the Director’s Guidance. A further period of consultation followed with the police before it was finalised and the DPP also personally addressed all Chief Constables directly about the changes being made in version 6 of the Director’s Guidance at an event held by the NPCC in November 2020.

Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: Screening

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of charging for covid-19 lateral flow tests on use of those tests.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the equality impact assessment in respect of the guidance published on 21 February 2022, entitled COVID-19 Response: Living with COVID-19.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Doctors' List of Patients: Ukraine

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance and assistance his Department provides to (a) clinical commissioning groups and (b) general practitioners on enabling Ukrainian refugees who are temporarily resident in the UK to be able to register easily and quickly for GP services.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Health Services: ICT

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2022 to Question 141194 on Health Services: ICT, in what form his Department will receive and hold data on the DTAC compliance of digital health technologies and clinical systems.

Gillian Keegan: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Abortion: Telemedicine

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of removing early medical abortion at home will have on the (a) financial and (b) human resources within the reproductive health sector.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason medical assessors are required to assess evidence establishing a link between a covid-19 vaccine and the death of an individual when a coroner's verdict has established that a covid-19 vaccination was the cause of that individual's death.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Health Services: ICT

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to Answer of 22 March 2022 to Question 141194 on Health Services: ICT, on what date in April 2022 his Department will hold information on the DTAC compliance for all digital health technologies and clinical systems.

Gillian Keegan: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Abortion: Telemedicine

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which organisations his Department consulted on ending early medical abortion at home; and what assessment his Department has made of the level of support that decision has among domestic abuse organisations.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department of Health and Social Care: Meller Group

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2022 to Question 101747 on Department of Health and Social Care: Meller Group, whether the reference to LB in the meeting minute is to a Departmental official; and whether the reference to Michael office refers to the office of the then Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Evusheld

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason the Government is conducting tests of the drug, Evusheld, on covid-19 omicron subvariants in the context of the United States Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency having demonstrated through similar studies that that drug maintains protection.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Screening

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make free covid-19 lateral flow tests available to people visiting those who are vulnerable or who have underlying health conditions in the event that they would otherwise be unable to do so as a result of the cost of covid-19 tests.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Evusheld

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to place an order for the drug, Evusheld.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what date the NHS Business Services Authority awarded the contract for a supplier to cover medical assessments of claims under the Vaccine Damage Payments Scheme; what the commencement date is of that contract; how many medical assessors will be employed under that contract; and what the key performance requirements are of that contract .

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Evusheld

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the timeframe for Evusheld being available for eligible patients following its recent MHRA approval.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Leeds General Infirmary: Finance

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he will publish decisions on funding for the Leeds General Infirmary building project to provide a new adult hospital, maternity centre and the new Leeds Children's Hospital.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Evusheld

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government has undertaken an assessment of which immunocompromised patients should be eligible for treatment with the drug, Evusheld, due to their lack of response to the covid-19 vaccine; and whether the Government has plans to undertake antibody testing on those individuals to assess their response.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Drugs

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies of reports of clinically vulnerable, clinically extremely vulnerable and immunosuppressed people experiencing challenges in accessing antiviral or retroviral treatments.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Abortion: Telemedicine

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the World Health Organization’s recommendations of 9 March 2022 on the delivery of safe abortion care, including for nations to make abortion available via telemedicine and outside a healthcare facility, what (a) assessment he has made of the recommendations and (b) plans he has to ensure services in England can be delivered in line with them.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 29 March 2022 to Question 146545, on Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, whether each claimant will be given the identity of the caseworkers assigned to their case; and what the key points at which updates will be provided.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Air Pollution

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Chief Medical Officer is taking to tackle air pollution problems following his speech at the Clean Air Summit in London on Thursday 17 February 2022.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Abortion: Telemedicine

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact the removal of early medical abortion at home may have on the average gestation age at which abortion is carried out.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Evusheld

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the results of Government’s tests on the effectiveness of the the drug evusheld against covid-19 omicron subvariants will be published.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Question

Simon Jupp: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve access to menopause services.

Maria Caulfield: The government recognises that menopause services need to improve which is why the menopause will be a priority area in our Women’s Health Strategy, to be published later this year.The NHS Menopause Improvement Programme will also improve access to menopause care in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines, helping to educate healthcare professionals and raise awareness for women, and the UK Menopause Taskforce is working to share best practice in improving menopause care across the UK.

Question

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to take further steps to tackle the shortage of NHS dentists.

Maria Caulfield: We are working with the British Dental Association to reform the NHS dental contract to make it more attractive to the profession. Health Education England set out a range of recommendations in their Advancing Dental Care Review, which will improve recruitment and retention of dentists and other professionals. Action is being taken to implement these through their Dental Education Reform Programme. We are also working to allow greater flexibility to expand on the registration options open to international dentistry applicants.

Health: Females

Kate Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help tackle inequalities in women's health.

Maria Caulfield: Our Vision for the Women’s Health Strategy, published in December, set out our ambitions for improving the health and wellbeing of women across England and reducing disparities. It is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/our-vision-for-the-womens-health-strategy-for-england. We will publish the full Women’s Health Strategy later this year.The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) was established to reduce health disparities, including those which affect women. OHID will publish a Health Disparities White Paper with impactful measures to address health disparities at each stage they arise.

Dentistry: Recruitment

Simon Fell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care,  what steps his Department is taking to promote the recruitment of dentists in communities with comparatively low levels of dental provision.

Maria Caulfield: Health Education England (HEE) set out a range of recommendations in their Advancing Dental Care Review, which aim to tackle recruitment, retention and attracting dentists to the NHS. One of their proposals was the creation of Centres for Dental Development in localities where there is a shortage in provision, which would bring together education and service elements in smaller units. HEE have now moved into their implementation stage through their Dental Education Reform Programme.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Stephen Metcalfe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support research into intra-nasal covid-19 vaccines.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) which, with UK Research and Innovation, has co-funded an Imperial College London study worth £580,000 looking specifically at the safety and effectiveness of two COVID-19 vaccines administered via the respiratory tract.The study is ongoing but in later stages and results will be made public in due course and following peer review.The NIHR is also providing infrastructure support to an Oxford University study looking at safety and effectiveness of intranasal administration of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine.

Infectious Diseases: Disease Control

Clive Efford: What discussions he has had with relevant stakeholders on the effectiveness of passive technology in reducing the transmission of airborne microbes in enclosed spaces.

Maggie Throup: Through the UK Health Security Agency we have worked with academic experts and businesses, to explore the most suitable air cleaning technologies to be used in enclosed spaces and further commissioned research projects, studying their effectiveness at reducing transmission rates of airborne microbes, including those for COVID-19.As part of managing these important studies officials continue to have discussions across government and with relevant stakeholders for which we will publish results in due course.

Carers: Cost of Living

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to support unpaid carers with the cost of living.

Gillian Keegan: The Department of Health and Social Care works closely with the Department for Work and Pensions on matters about unpaid carers.We understand the pressures people face with the cost of living. These are global challenges, and we are providing support worth over £22 billion in 2022/23 to help. This includes a cut to fuel duty, a £9.1 billion package to help with energy bills and raising National Insurance thresholds.We are also spending record amounts specifically to support unpaid carers, with expenditure on Carer’s Allowance forecast to be £3.1 billion in 2021/22.

NHS and Social Services: Staff

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support health and care staff with the rising cost of living.

Gillian Keegan: We have committed to give NHS workers a pay rise and are looking to pay review bodies for a recommendation.The pay review bodies are independent so I cannot pre-empt their recommendations, but we will carefully consider them.The majority of care workers are employed by private sector providers who set pay and conditions, independent of central government. It is the responsibility of local authorities to work with care providers to determine pay.

Dental Services: Finance

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to provide additional financial support to tackle pressures in dentistry in areas with high levels of population growth.

Maria Caulfield: Local services are commissioned according to need, taking into account regional data on the oral health needs of the population, demographics and current service provision. This includes areas high levels of population growth. Patients are also registered with a dental practice during the course of their treatment, therefore there are no geographical restrictions on which practice a patient may attend.

Ambulance Services: Standards

Wera Hobhouse: What steps he is taking to help ensure that ambulance services meet their response time targets.

Edward Argar: The Government is committed to supporting the ambulance service to manage the pressures it is facing.Investments in the ambulance workforce have increased the number of NHS ambulance and support staff by 38% since July 2010, and boosted 999 call handler numbers to over 2,400 at the end of March, 500 more than in September.Ambulance trusts receive continuous central monitoring and support through NHS England’s National Ambulance Coordination Centre and there is targeted, intensive support to the most challenged hospitals to improve patient handovers, helping ambulances get swiftly back on the road.

Health Services

Ruth Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to maximise NHS capacity.

Edward Argar: The Department continues to focus on recovery of services, as we have throughout the pandemic. The NHS and the Department have sought to maximise availability of capacity by all practical means, including virtual wards, the use of independent sector capacity, a focus on maximising safe discharge, coupled with investment in up to 160 community diagnostic centres, innovation in surgical hubs, and through growing our NHS workforce.

Health Services

Dehenna Davison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to maximise NHS capacity.

Edward Argar: The Department continues to focus on recovery of services, as we have throughout the pandemic. The NHS and the Department have sought to maximise availability of capacity by all practical means, including virtual wards, the use of independent sector capacity, a focus on maximising safe discharge, coupled with investment in up to 160 community diagnostic centres, innovation in surgical hubs, and through growing our NHS workforce.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the (a) Government and (b) NHS is taking to reduce COPD mortality in the UK through the Life Sciences Vision strategy.

Maria Caulfield: The Government has worked with global academic and industrial leaders to identify areas of scientific and research potential which could be harnessed to address the seven identified healthcare missions in the Life Sciences Vision. The respiratory mission aims to reduce pressure on the National Health Service and improve clinical outcomes, treatment and diagnosis.Implementation plans to deliver on the Life Sciences Vision are being developed. We are working with academics, the NHS and industry on plans for the respiratory mission to reduce morbidity and mortality, including for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, through innovation in the understanding and treatment of the condition.

Asthma: Medical Treatments

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the report commissioned by the NHS from Logex and IVM, entitled International Comparison Medicines Uptake, on severe asthma biologics; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether an assessment of trends in the levels of waiting times to access biologic therapies has been made under the NHS Accelerated Access Collaborative's rapid uptake programme for asthma biologic therapies; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Government's 2019 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access, what progress the Government has made in respect of severe asthma in attaining its objective of reaching the upper quartile of uptake for the five highest health gain categories; what assessment he has made of the viability of retaining that objective in respect of severe asthma; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Caulfield: NHS England and NHS Improvement commissioned LOGEX and IVM to report on the current usage of the five highest health gain categories against 10 other similar European countries to understand national and international differences. While the LOGEX and IVM report did not investigate the reasons for differences in use of asthma biologics, the report demonstrated that use of biologics in England is increasing. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s recommendations include that physicians evaluate patients on biologics and halt treatment if the patient does not respond adequately.The report suggests that variation in the use of biologics in the population in England reflects documented differences in clinical practice. NHS Digital’s innovation scorecard estimates report on the use of biologic medicines to treat severe asthma shows that the level of use in England is in line with the expectations of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s recommendations. The Accelerated Access Collaborative has undertaken a review of the patient’s journey to the initiation of asthma biologic treatment in severe asthma centres. The findings are informing the development of a consensus clinical pathway for uncontrolled and severe asthma with recommended timelines and roles and responsibilities for healthcare professionals. The clinical pathway is due to be published shortly.

Women's Health Ambassador: Public Appointments

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his planned timetable is for announcing the appointment of the new Women's Health Ambassador for England.

Maria Caulfield: The appointment process is continuing and an announcement will be made in due course.

Women's Health Ambassador

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether minutes will be published for meetings between the Women's Health Ambassador for England and Ministers of his Department.

Maria Caulfield: We have no current plans to do so.

Sodium Valproate: Compensation

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the potential total value of claims of clinical negligence linked to sodium valproate.

Maria Caulfield: NHS Resolution handles clinical negligence claims on behalf of National Health Service organisations and independent sector providers of NHS care in England. As at 31 March 2022, NHS Resolution had received 127 claims relating to sodium valproate, of which seven are currently open. The total amount paid in damages and costs for the 120 closed cases relating to sodium valproate is £14.6 million. The value of the remaining seven open cases has yet to be determined.

Women's Health Ambassador: Public Appointments

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the post of Women's Health Ambassador will be a time-limited or permanent appointment.

Maria Caulfield: The length of the appointment was advertised as up to 18 months.

Women's Health Ambassador: Pay

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the post of Women's Health Ambassador will be salaried.

Maria Caulfield: The role was advertised with a remuneration rate of approximately £300 to £350 per day.

Radiotherapy: Medical Treatments

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will undertake a capacity and demand review of radiotherapy cancer services; and if he will take steps to increase overall radiotherapy capacity.

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to commission a review of radiotherapy capacity and demand to include (a) the age of radiotherapy machines, (b) the current state of IT connectivity and (c) an estimate of the number of radiotherapy machines required by the NHS.

Maria Caulfield: In 2022/23, NHS England and NHS Improvement will undertake a capacity and demand review of external beam radiotherapy capacity. This review is intended to support systems to plan radiotherapy provision, including the replacement of equipment. The review will not consider IT connectivity or the age of machines as these factors should form part of system planning for equipment replacement.NHS England and NHS Improvement have commenced a three-year pilot of a new cloud-based technology ‘ProKnow’, as recommended in the Digital Playbook for Cancer. This system will enable clinicians to collaborate virtually within and across services to plan treatments, undertake peer review processes and participate in large-scale audit and quality improvement processes.

Women's Health Ambassador: Public Appointments

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Women's Health Ambassador for England will be recruited by open application; and where that post will be advertised.

Maria Caulfield: The role was advertised on GOV.UK between 14 and 28 January 2022, with more than 70 applications received. The appointment process is on-going.

Long Covid

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to monitor the prevalence of long covid among the population.

Maria Caulfield: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Blackburn (Kate Hollern MP) on 10 November 2021 to Question 70273.

Chickenpox: Vaccination

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a chickenpox vaccine on the NHS.

Maria Caulfield: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) reviewed the varicella vaccine designed to provide protection against chickenpox in 2010. Based on the JCVI’s subsequent recommendations and due to the complex health risks associated with its widespread use, the varicella vaccine is not currently part of the routine vaccination programme. The JCVI regularly reviews new and existing programmes as evidence emerges.

Long Covid: Research

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase scientific and medical research into long covid; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Caulfield: We have invested more than £50 million for research into the long-term effects of COVID-19. This includes £38.6 million awarded to 19 projects commissioned through two research calls. The National Institute for Health Research continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including post-COVID-19 syndrome. It is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.

Radiotherapy

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will review the method by which radiotherapy is funded in the UK to (a) increase access to treatments, (b) modernise equipment and (c) grow the specialist cancer workforce.

Maria Caulfield: The NHS Long Term Plan committed to review the payment arrangements for radiotherapy, to ensure that appropriate incentives are in place to encourage providers to increase access to new treatments and techniques and upgrade and replace equipment.While this has been delayed due to the pandemic and the temporary financial regime introduced to support the National Health Service response, it is expected to be completed during 2022/23. Each provider is responsible for ensuring it has the optimal workforce in place to deliver the service, balancing staff numbers, skills and technological innovations and allocating investment accordingly. This will be assisted by reforms to the payment model for radiotherapy.To increase access to new treatments and techniques, NHS England and NHS Improvement have a ‘package price’ for stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) in place to ensure that trusts are reimbursed at a higher price for the treatment than under the National Tariff. With centrally funded external quality assurance and clinical mentoring arrangements, every NHS radiotherapy provider in England has established a local SABR service.

Blood: Donors

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the awareness of the need to donate (a) blood, (b) plasma and (c) platelets to NHS Blood and Transplant.

Maria Caulfield: NHS Blood and Transplant raises awareness of blood, plasma and platelet donation in England through a range of media, marketing activity, donor and patient case studies, partnerships and engagement with business, charities and faith organisations. This is in addition to donor recruitment campaigns and events such as ‘What’s Your Blood Type’, which are held in the community. These campaigns aim to increase awareness of donations to ensure that the right blood components are available for all patients, including platelet and plasma components and plasma for medicines for patients with complex needs. In addition, NHS Blood and Transplant continues to invest in the diversification of the blood donor base to support patients and reduce health disparities.

Public Health: Finance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessments he uses to prioritise funding for public health interventions.

Maria Caulfield: Decisions on the prioritisation of funding for public health interventions are taken by local authorities or National Health Service bodies drawing on a range of evidence and advice, including guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and information and advice from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. The Government’s decisions on priorities include consideration of evidence on impact, delivery, financial costs and overall value for money and the Government’s statutory duties.

Dementia: Diagnosis

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase dementia diagnosis rates in England.

Gillian Keegan: NHS England and NHS Improvement continue to monitor the dementia diagnosis rate on a monthly basis and provide analysis on trends at a regional and sustainability and transformation partnership level to aid targeted recovery efforts. In 2021/22, we allocated £17 million to NHS England and NHS Improvement to address dementia waiting lists and increase the number of diagnoses. This funding was made available to clinical commissioning groups in June 2021. Later this year we will set out our plans for dementia in England, which will include a focus on dementia diagnosis.

Maternity Services: Shropshire

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the Hospitals Transformation Programme on standards of maternity services in Shropshire.

Edward Argar: The Hospitals Transformation Programme plans to locate a consultant inpatient maternity unit at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital with the specialist medical, critical care and surgical services which support emergency departments. These services include adult medicine, cardiology, respiratory medicine, critical care, abdominal surgery, urological surgery and vascular surgery. This aims to enhance timely multidisciplinary team working and support improved outcomes for mothers and babies.

Social Prescribing

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to engage social prescribing in integrated care providers.

Maria Caulfield: NHS England and NHS Improvement have encouraged systems to work with local agencies and partner organisations to develop shared plans to ensure engagement with and the sustainability of social prescribing in their area.In September 2021 NHS England and Improvement published ‘Building strong integrated care systems everywhere: ICS implementation guidance on partnerships with the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector’ which outlines the importance of the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector as a strategic partner in integrated care systems (ICSs) and provides guidance on how VCSE partnerships should be embedded. The guidance is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/B0905-vcse-and-ics-partnerships.pdfThe guidance states that by July 2022, integrated care boards (ICBs) are expected to have developed a formal agreement with the VCSE sector in system-level governance and decision-making arrangements, ideally through a VCSE alliance to reflect the diversity of the sector. It also describes the importance of embedding social prescribing services in ICSs.

Sodium Valproate

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the dedicated webpage for those negatively affected by sodium valproate will be published on NHS Resolution's website.

Maria Caulfield: NHS Resolution continues to work with the Department to establish a single gateway for patients affected by mesh and sodium valproate seeking to bring a claim. NHS Resolution aims for the gateway to be available by the end of April 2022.

Health: Screening

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of developing an annual mental and physical health screening programme.

Maria Caulfield: Alongside national screening programmes for breast, bowel and cervical cancer, diabetic eye screening and abdominal aortic aneurism, the NHS Health Check for adults in England for those aged 40 to 74 years old aims to identify early signs of stroke, kidney disease, heart disease, type 2 diabetes or dementia.The UK National Screening Committee has reviewed evidence for screening depression in adults and following pregnancy. However, the Committee did not recommend screening based on several factors, including the unreliability of the test.

Sodium Valproate: Compensation

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether those negatively affected by sodium valproate will be eligible for legal aid when pursuing a claim through NHS Resolution.

Maria Caulfield: The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 redefined the scope of civil legal aid and a number of matters, including most medical negligence cases, are no longer covered by public funding. Legal aid may be available under the exceptional case funding scheme, where failure to provide it would breach or risk breaching human rights under European Court of Human Rights or European Union law. Legal aid for clinical negligence remains for cases where a child has serious neurological injuries and as a result is severely disabled, subject to meeting certain conditions.

Prisoners: Palliative Care

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many prisoners received end of life care in the last year.

Gillian Keegan: The information requested is not held centrally.

Epilepsy: Research

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of allocating further funding for research into anti-epilepsy drugs.

Maria Caulfield: The Department currently has no specific plans to make an assessment. However, the Department funds epilepsy research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including epilepsy. It is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. From 2014/2015 to 2019/2020, the NIHR’s expenditure on epilepsy research was £11.4 million and UKRI, through the Medical Research Council and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, provided £42.9 million for such research.

Dentistry: Qualifications

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the continued mutual recognition of professional dental qualifications from the European Economic Area.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has of the potential merits of recognising Commonwealth dental school qualifications to increase the number of dentists practising in the UK.

Edward Argar: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on 22 March 2022 to Questions 139498 and 139499.

Dementia: Research

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to deliver on the manifesto commitment to double research funding into dementia.

Maria Caulfield: We have committed £375 million for neurodegenerative disease research over the next five years to fund projects into a range of diseases, including dementia. To increase research in this area, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) launched a Highlight Notice on Dementia in March 2021 and a £9 million call inviting research proposals on digital approaches for the early detection and diagnosis of dementia in November 2021.We will set out our ambitions for dementia research in the forthcoming dementia strategy, which will be published later this year.

Cannabis: Medical Treatments

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of using secure digital ID systems to enable more people who are eligible for a medical cannabis prescription to access one.

Maria Caulfield: No recent assessment has been made. Eligibility for a medicinal cannabis prescription is an assessment which can only be made by a clinician on the specialist register of the General Medical Council. The prescribing clinician remains responsible for monitoring the patient’s response to the medication and any side effects, which may include physical examinations.There are sufficient means for an individual who is lawfully in possession of medicinal cannabis to demonstrate legitimate medical use. This includes proof of a prescription and identification or presenting the dispensing label attached to the medicine.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Vaccination

Anthony Mangnall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to extend free TB vaccinations to include all those that work with bovines.

Maggie Throup: Based on the current available evidence, there are no plans to extend free Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccinations to all those who work with bovines. BCG vaccination against tuberculosis (TB) is not usually recommended for people aged over 16 years old, unless the risk of exposure is high. BCG vaccination can be offered to veterinary staff and staff, such as abattoir workers, who handle animals or animal materials which could be infected with TB.Under these current criteria in the Green Book, a very small subset of farmers may be eligible for the BCG vaccination. Their eligibility for TB vaccination should be based on an individual risk assessment. Those eligible would access the vaccine through a private occupational health provider and may seek further advice from the National Farmers Union. Non-National Health Service providers can charge for this service.Under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH), all new employees, including farmers, should undergo a pre-employment health assessment, which should include a review of immunisation needs. The COSHH risk assessment will indicate which pathogens staff are exposed to in their workplace, such as bovine TB. Staff considered to be at risk of exposure to pathogens should be offered routine pre-exposure immunisation as appropriate. This decision should also take into account the safety and efficacy of available vaccines. Staff not considered to be at risk need not routinely be offered immunisation, although post-exposure prophylaxis may occasionally be indicated.

Integrated Care Systems

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has he made of ensuring that Directors of Public Health have a central role in integrated care Board and integrated care providers.

Edward Argar: The Health and Care Bill includes a requirement on integrated care boards (ICBs) to consider the skills, knowledge and experience its members need to discharge its functions and where there are gaps, consider what mitigations can be made. We expect this to include public health. ICBs will also have a duty to obtain appropriate advice to enable them to discharge their functions effectively. Persons who have a broad range of professional expertise in the protection or improvement of public health are specifically mentioned in this duty.The Health and Care Bill does not make requirements for integrated care providers. However, we expect public health experts to play a significant role in the new integrated care partnerships. Local authority Directors of Public Health and their teams can have an influential role in supporting, informing and guiding approaches to population health improvement and plans to identify and address health disparities.

Pharmacy

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of increasing the role that pharmacies have in treating patients with minor ailments to reduce pressure on GPs.

Maria Caulfield: We are currently negotiating with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee on the expanded and additional services to be introduced in year four of the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework. The Framework set out the ambitions for community pharmacy to be further integrated in the National Health Service by providing more clinical services, treatment for minor illnesses and relieving pressure on other parts of the NHS, including primary care.New clinical services have been introduced, including the Community Pharmacist Consultation Service where staff in general practices and NHS 111 can refer patients to community pharmacies for advice and treatment of minor illnesses.

Eating Disorders: Children and Young People

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of children and young people being treated on general paediatric wards where the primary illness is that of an eating disorder, in each year from 2017 to 2022.

Gillian Keegan: No specific estimate has been made. The information is not collected in the format requested as it is not possible to determine the ward where a patient is treated from secondary care data.

Paralysis: Medical Treatments

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that NHS patients can access spinal implants to help paralysed patients walk again.

Gillian Keegan: Spinal cord injury services are directly commissioned by NHS England and services are provided by spinal cord injuries centres. There is no current policy in development for spinal implants. However, where a spinal implant is considered clinically appropriate, a clinical lead would submit a request in the usual way.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Eating Disorders

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of presentations of children and young people at accident and emergency departments where the presentation is primarily due to or related to an eating disorder in each year from 2017 to 2022.

Gillian Keegan: No specific estimate has been made. NHS Digital has advised that between April 2017 to March 2021, presentations related to an eating disorder are not separately identifiable within Hospital Episode Statistics for accident and emergency departments. Data for 2021/22 is collected within the Emergency Care Dataset. However, NHS Digital has advised that the information requested on diagnoses is not currently available due to issues related to data quality.

Social Services: Disease Control

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of the infection control fund on the care sector.

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what lessons his Department has learnt from the use of the infection control fund during the covid-19 pandemic.

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the data his Department holds on infection control fund spending since March 2020.

Gillian Keegan: The Infection Control Fund and its successor, the Infection Control and Testing Fund, has provided over £2.2 billion to support care providers through the pandemic. No specific assessment of the Fund’s impact or lessons learned has been made. However, the Department of Health and Social Care works with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, local authorities and providers to review and improve how funding is delivered to the adult social care sector. Data for the first Infection Control Fund between May and October 2020 is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adult-social-care-infection-control-fundExpenditure for subsequent funds will be published in due course.

Care Homes: Coronavirus

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact ending access to widespread free covid-19 testing will have on families with relatives in care-homes.

Gillian Keegan: Since 4 April 2022, while visitors are no longer asked to test before entering a care home, they are encouraged to take necessary precautions to keep themselves and their loved ones safe. This includes staying away from the care home if they are symptomatic or have tested positive for COVID-19. However, free asymptomatic testing is available for visitors providing personal care to test up to twice weekly, if visiting more than twice. We will continue to keep care home testing arrangements and its impact on care home staff, residents and visitors under review.

NHS: Databases

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department (a) is still using NHS Foundry to map vaccine uptake and (b) has plans to deploy that software elsewhere in the NHS.

Gillian Keegan: NHS Foundry is procured and operated by NHS England to manage the COVID-19 vaccination programme. The vaccination capability in NHS Foundry is one of several use cases developed to support the National Health Service response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes the supply of equipment such as personal protective equipment, oxygen and ventilators, with some of those use cases accessed by users outside NHS England and NHS Improvement.NHS England and NHS Improvement are piloting the use of NHS Foundry by NHS trusts and integrated care systems to support the elective recovery strategy. NHS England and NHS Improvement intend to begin market engagement discussions shortly on future requirements for a data analytics platform, with a procurement process expected to follow. NHS England’s decisions on further deployment of the platform will be subject to the usual control and assurance processes.

Gambling: Rehabilitation

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of treatment programmes for people suffering from gambling-related harm.

Gillian Keegan: No specific assessment has been made. The NHS Long Term Plan announced the creation of 15 new specialist problem gambling clinics by 2023/24. Five clinics are now operational, with a further three expected to open later this year.The Department and NHS England are undertaking a review to ensure there is a coherent pathway of advice and treatment for those experiencing gambling-related harm. This review will focus on better alignment across treatment and support services provided by the National Health Service and third sector organisations.

Health Services: Video Conferencing

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many IT providers of video conferencing services meet the NHS DCB0129 requirements; and which companies have met that standard.

Gillian Keegan: Information on the number of IT providers of video conferencing services who have met the NHS DCB0129 standard is not held centrally. The Health and Social Care Act 2012, Section 250 and the two information standards DBC0129 and DCB0160 establish a framework for clinical risk management of health IT systems. Manufacturers of health IT systems that are publicly commissioned for deployment and use in England for health or adult social care purposes are mandated to pay due attention to the Information Standards notice in accordance with the Health and Social Care Act 2012. For video conferencing on an NHS Digital managed framework, NHS Digital has assessed products provided by the following suppliers against DCB0129: - Advanced Health and Care Limited;- ENGAGE HEALTH SYSTEMS LIMITED;- Involve Visual Collaboration Ltd;- iPLATO;- Medstars;- MJog Limited;- MyClinic.com ltd;- Push Dr Limited;- Redwood Technologies Group Limited;- Sensely;- Silicon Practice;- The GP Service (UK) Limited;- T-Pro; and- Wellola; Compliance with the DCB0129 standards is one of the requirements of Digital Technology Assessment Criteria for Health and Social Care that suppliers are required to meet at the point of purchase by the National Health Service. Therefore, further products are likely to have been assessed locally by the NHS.

Care Homes: Coronavirus

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to assist people who do not have online access to order lateral flow device tests in order to visit loved ones in care homes, in areas where pharmacies no longer have supplies.

Gillian Keegan: From 1 April 2022, access to free universal lateral flow device (LFD) testing for the general public ended. Since 4 April, most visitors to adult social care settings have not been required to take a test. A small number of visitors who are providing personal care will be asked to test before entering, up to twice weekly if visiting more than twice, with free LFD tests through the care home available for these visitors.

Eating Disorders: Children and Young People

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of children and young people requiring (a) admission and (b) re-admission to inpatient units for treatment of eating disorders in each year from 2017 to 2022.

Gillian Keegan: The following table shows the number of finished admission episodes (FAE), re-admission episodes and number of admitted and re-admitted patients aged 0 to 17 years old with a primary diagnosis of eating disorders in each calendar year from 2017 to 2020. Data for 2021 is not yet available.Year of admissionTotal admission episodesTotal patients admittedRe-admission episodesRe-admitted patients20171,6421,14272046920181,8791,30782554220191,9341,34682550120202,7231,9341,020655Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS DigitalA FAE is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. For the purposes of this analysis FAEs have been counted against the calendar year in which the admission episode commenced. Admission episodes do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period.Re-admission episodes show where the same patient has been readmitted to hospital with a primary diagnosis of an eating disorder where there has been a previous admission with a primary diagnosis of an eating disorder since April 2012. The same patient may have had more than one re-admission during a period.Number of re-admitted patients is a count of the number of distinct patients re-admitted each year. It is possible that the same person will be re-admitted in more than one year.The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002/03 to 2006/07 and seven prior to 2002/03) diagnosis fields in the HES data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital. For the purpose of this response the following ICD-10 code has been used: F50 - Eating Disorders

Asthma: Medical Treatments

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of patients who are eligible for biologic treatment for severe asthma who are not currently accessing it.

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of patients awaiting an appointment at a severe asthma centre.

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of home administration of biologics for severe asthma; and whether he has plans to extend that treatment.

Gillian Keegan: The NHS England and NHS Improvement Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC) on Improving Access to Biologic Therapy estimates that approximately 200,000 or 5% of patients with asthma have severe asthma. Of these patients, the AAC estimates that between 50,000 to 100,000 may be eligible for biologic therapy, with approximately 11,000 patients receiving this treatment. The AAC aims to improve the identification of these patients in primary and secondary care settings, to allow referrals to specialist severe asthma centres to determine their suitability for biologic treatment.No specific estimate of the number of patients awaiting an appointment at a severe asthma centre has been made as this information is not collected in the format requested. No specific assessment has been made of the effectiveness of home administration of biologics for severe asthma. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s COVID-19 rapid guideline on severe asthma promoted the use of home administration for biologic treatments to maintain access and reduce risks to patients of COVID-19 exposure. While we are ensuring that patients who are eligible for this treatment are able to access it, there are no plans to extend the eligibility criteria.

Dementia: Walking

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Royal College of Nursing and other trade unions on the potential preventative effect on dementia of walking.

Gillian Keegan: We have had no specific discussions. However, the Department is developing a new dementia strategy, which includes the theme of risk reduction and prevention. This theme will include the 12 modifiable risk factors identified in ‘Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2020 report of the Lancet Commission’, including physical inactivity in later life.Evidence has shown that physical inactivity accounts for 17.7% of modifiable risk for dementia and there is strong evidence that physical activity can reduce the risk of dementia. Whilst this evidence is not specific to walking, the United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines cite walking as one of the forms of moderate intensity physical activity through which the recommended weekly 150 minutes could be attained.

Care Workers: Coronavirus

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support care workers who may have to isolate to prevent or control infection of covid-19.

Gillian Keegan: The Government has published updated infection prevention and control guidance for the adult social care sector and continues to provide free personal protective equipment and testing and access to COVID-19 vaccinations. Social care staff who test positive are asked to stay away from work for 10 days, with the ability to return earlier with negative lateral flow device tests, using the free testing provided.The majority of care workers are employed by private sector providers which determine their pay and terms and conditions of employment. We expect all care providers to support good health and safety practice, with staff staying away from the workplace where there would be a health risk to those in their care, aligning with pre-pandemic expectations.

Care Homes: Finance

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what factors are assessed when deciding the fee level a local authority will pay per funded care home place; and whether he has plans to raise fee levels.

Gillian Keegan: Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities have a duty to manage local care markets. The Care Act guidance states that local authorities should assure and have evidence that fee levels are appropriate to provide the agreed quality of care and enable providers to effectively support care users and invest in staff development, innovation and improvement.We are committing £1.36 billion to the Market Sustainability and Fair Cost of Care Fund over the next three years. On 24 March 2022, we published guidance which provides advice to local authorities for completing and returning cost of care exercises to the Department and templates which local authorities must use as part of an acceptable submission. These state a standard list of cost lines to assess care home providers. Where average fee rates are below the fair cost of care, we expect local authorities to use the Fund to begin to move towards paying providers a fair cost of care and to set out in the Market Sustainability Plans how this will be achieved.

Eating Disorders: Children and Young People

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increasing number of acute or urgent cases of children and young people with eating disorders presenting to primary and secondary care.

Gillian Keegan: No formal assessment has been made. However, we are working with the National Health Service to develop an understanding of the impact of the pandemic on eating disorders in children and young people.Through UK Research and Innovation, the Government has funded a £3.8 million study to develop an interdisciplinary, evidence-based model of how eating disorders develop and on recovery in young people. The research aims to improve the detection of eating disorders, treatment and services and assist clinicians to tailor treatments to a young person’s individual circumstances.

Palliative Care

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to examine the (a) rise in deaths in private homes and (b) quality of end of life care that people have received since the start of the covid-19 pandemic.

Gillian Keegan: We continue to monitor the number of deaths in private homes and the quality of end of life care to understand the impact of the pandemic on palliative and end of life care provision.NHS England and NHS Improvement review the quality of end of life care service provision through the National Audit of Care at the End of Life. Its most recent National Summary is expected to be published in summer 2022. The National Institute for Health Research has also commissioned research into the end-of-life care experiences of black people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Palliative Care

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the provision in the Health and Care Bill on the commissioning of services or facilities for palliative care, if he will use the World Health Organisation definition of specialist palliative care services to ensure a consistent standard and provision of services across England.

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans take to ensure that Chairs of Integrated Care Boards fulfil the requirements of the provision in the Health and Care Bill on the commissioning of palliative care.

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance he plans to provide to Integrated Care Boards on the commissioning of palliative care in the context of the provision in the Health and Care Bill on that matter.

Gillian Keegan: NHS England will be responsible for issuing statutory guidance to integrated care boards (ICBs) in relation to their commissioning functions. This includes the commissioning of palliative care, the definition of services and ensuring that ICBs fulfil their obligations in all their functions.   Guidance currently available to commissioners for the provision of palliative and end of life care includes the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidance and quality standard, which was updated in September 2021. The Bill does not provide a specific definition of the word ‘palliative’ and there are no plans to use the World Health Organization’s definition of ‘specialist palliative care’. The consistency of provision of health services in England will be achieved through NHS England’s oversight of ICBs fulfilling their commissioning obligations. In 2016, NHS England and NHS Improvement issued guidance to commissioners on specialist level palliative care for people with progressive, life-limiting illness and complex needs. The guidance will be kept under review and updated as required, to ensure it meets the needs of commissioners.

Menopause: Health Services

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has for a public health campaign to update women on the menopause support available to them.

Maria Caulfield: The UK Menopause Taskforce’s first meeting, held on 3 February 2022, agreed that future meetings would be scheduled by themes, including education and awareness. This will consider how to ensure that women, the general public and healthcare professionals are well-informed about the menopause. In December 2021, the Department announced plans to appoint the first Women’s Health Ambassador for England. The Ambassador will focus on raising the profile for women’s health issues, such as the menopause, increasing awareness of taboo topics and including a range of collaborative voices to implement the Women’s Health Strategy.The forthcoming Women’s Health Strategy will also contain a priority menopause chapter detailing the support available to menopausal individuals.

Royal Shrewsbury Hospital: Repairs and Maintenance

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of when the updated proposal for the Hospitals Transformation Programme for the modernisation of the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital will be submitted for national consideration.

Edward Argar: NHS England and NHS Improvement are currently working with the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust to ensure that the Strategic Outline Case (SOC) meets the relevant criteria. A provisional timetable has been agreed and a revised SOC is expected to be submitted for national review in late April, subject to regional review.

Members: Correspondence

Robert Largan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he will respond to the correspondence of 4 November 2021 from the hon. Member for High Peak, reference RL27517.

Edward Argar: We replied to the hon. Member on 24 November 2021.

NHS: Cost Effectiveness

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 29 March to Question 146546, whether the NHS has met its most recent efficiency target; and what steps he plans to take in the event that the new efficiency target is not achieved.

Edward Argar: The NHS Long Term Plan states that the National Health Service will achieve productivity growth of at least 1.1% per year. The Office for National Statistics’ most recent assessment of productivity performance indicates that in 2019/20, public service healthcare productivity decreased by 1.9%. This period includes March 2020 and the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.Productivity fell during the pandemic as elective activity reduced to protect the capacity to care for COVID-19 patients. The Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced that the NHS efficiency commitment will double to 2.2% in 2022/23. To achieve additional efficiencies, we will work with the NHS to share and embed best practice and identify new opportunities for efficiency gains, including investment in technology to improve the patient experience. Health and social care spending will also continue to be scrutinised by the National Audit Office, the Health and Social Care Select Committee and Public Accounts Committee to ensure value for money. If efficiency trajectories show that the NHS is not on course to meet the target, the Department will work with the NHS to identify and agree actions to support delivery.

Department of Health and Social Care: Public Expenditure

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will (a) list the spending programmes his Department devolves for administration to local government in England and other local spending bodies and (b) specify the value for each programme for every year for which budgets are agreed.

Edward Argar: The following table shows spending on programmes issued to local government in England by the Department in 2020/21 in the form of grants under the Local Government Act 2003. Local authority funding by scheme2020/21 actual expenditure £ ’000sInfection Control1,146,000Workforce Capacity Fund120,000Out of Hours Hospital Care Model for People experiencing Homelessness2,549West Midlands Engine2,300Learning Disabilities and Autism Community Discharge20,000PrEP - HIV drug treatment11,222LASSL - local reform and community voices grant, social care in prisons grant and war pensions schemes disregard grant57,360Contain Outbreak Management Fund1,717,092Test and Trace Business Support to Local authorities3,000Test and Trace Isolation Support Payments144,743Local Authority Practical Support (for those self-isolating)12,900Project Eagle - surge testing support3,094Rapid Testing149,119Community Testing126,615 Expenditure data for 2021/22 is not yet available. Spending plans for 2022/23 and beyond are currently being finalised.This information refers to core Departmental expenditure and does not include spending devolved to local authorities by Departmental arm’s length bodies or spending devolved to local National Health Service bodies via NHS England. The Local Authority Public Health Grant is recorded separately as in 2020/21, this was paid to upper-tier local authorities by the former Public Health England (PHE). The value of the Grant paid to local authorities by PHE in 2020/21 was £3.279 billion. With effect from 1 October 2021, the Department has assumed responsibility for this Grant.

Hospitals

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of patients who remain in hospital and who are medically fit for discharge; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Argar: The Department has provided £3.3 billion to the National Health Service to facilitate timely hospital discharges during the pandemic, including £478 million for winter 2021/22. We have established a national cross-Government discharge taskforce with the National Health Service and local government to identify long-term, sustainable changes to reduce delayed discharges.

Air Pollution: Death

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, further to the Answer of 25 November 2022 to Question 81866 on Air Pollution: Death, what his timetable is for publishing the Public Health Indicator PHOF-D01 for 2020 values.

Maggie Throup: The Public Health Outcomes Framework indicator (PHOF) - D01 is usually updated annually in February by the UK Health Security Agency. However, due to changes in the methodology following the publication of the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants statement in 2022, the update for 2020 values will be published in May 2022.

Mental Health Services

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of ensuring NHS England provide guidance to commissioners and providers of mental health, learning disability and autism services, including the provisions of a centralised database, to facilitate patient choice in line with physical health conditions as part of parity of esteem.

Gillian Keegan: No specific assessment has been made.On 8 March 2022, we set out plans for reforming the health system. The plans contain a focus on personalisation and strengthening the role of patient choice, including in mental health, learning disability and autism services. This aims to create a more integrated and collaborative health system, which is highly responsive to patients.

Prisoners: Neurology

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of trends in the proportion of inmates across the prison estate in England and Wales who see a specialist to help treat neurological conditions.

Gillian Keegan: No specific assessment has been made. Data on the number of inmates in the prison estate in England who see a specialist for neurological conditions is not held centrally. Information on the provision of healthcare in Wales is a devolved matter.

Prisoners: Neurology

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the number of inmates across the prison estate in England and Wales with (a) epilepsy and (b) wider neurological conditions.

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) number and (b) proportion of inmates across the prison estate in England and Wales have a history of traumatic brain injury.

Gillian Keegan: No specific estimate has been made. Data on the number of inmates across the prison estate in England with epilepsy, wider neurological conditions, or a history of traumatic brain injury is not collected centrally. Information on health care in Wales is a devolved matter.

Gender Identity Services for Children and Young People Independent Review

Kate Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the interim report of the Cass Review, published in February 2022, if the Government will adopt the advice set out in that report on reforming the approach to providing gender identity services for children and young people and introduce a system in which local centres become direct service providers.

Maria Caulfield: We welcome Dr Cass’ report and look forward to the publication of the full review, which will provide further detail on an improved model of care for children and young people with gender dysphoria.

Pharmacy: Primary Health Care

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how he intends to use local pharmacy teams to increase capacity in primary care.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has plans to ensure the clinical skillset of the community pharmacy workforce is more effectively utilised.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to expand the role of pharmacy teams to support public health.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to implement a long-term vision for the future of local pharmacies.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to tackle pressures faced by community pharmacies by increasing the size of the community pharmacy workforce.

Maria Caulfield: We are currently negotiating with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee on the expanded and additional services to be introduced in the fourth year of the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework. The Framework sets out the ambition for community pharmacy to be further integrated to provide more clinical services, such as treatment for minor illnesses, to relieve pressures elsewhere in the National Health Service.New clinical services already introduced include the Community Pharmacist Consultation Service, where staff in general practices and NHS 111 can refer patients to community pharmacies for advice and treatment of minor illnesses, blood pressure checks and the Discharge Medicines Service, providing patients recently discharged from hospital with support with their medication. All pharmacies are now also healthy living pharmacies requiring teams to be aware of local health issues and proactively promoting healthy lifestyles.NHS England is investing a further £15.9 million over the next four years to support the expansion of frontline pharmacy staff in primary and community care, to provide increased access to educational, prescribing and clinical training and development opportunities for post registration pharmacy professionals to meet the needs of patients and local communities.

Coronavirus: Air Conditioning

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with relevant stakeholders on the finding of the study by Morris and others entitled, The removal of airborne SARS-COV-2 and other bioaerosols on air filtration on COVID-19 surge units, published on 30 October 2021, that SARS-CoV-2 RNA was only detected in particles larger than 1 micron in diameter.

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the study by Morris and others entitled, The removal of airborne SARS-COV-2 and other microbial bioaerosols on air filtration on COVID-19 surge units, published on 30 October 2021, if he will hold discussions with relevant stakeholders on the finding of that study on the effectiveness of using mechanical ventilation systems or standalone air filtration with ePM1 80 per cent minimum efficiency to remove some 96 per cent of the airborne covid-19 virus within two air changes.

Maggie Throup: Representatives of NHS Test and Trace and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) have held discussions with experts in air purification technologies, including representatives from research prior to commissioning research on environmental technologies. The UKHSA will continue to engage with relevant stakeholders. The outcomes of the study by Morris et al have informed the Addenbrookes Air Disinfection Study, which is currently underway. The study’s main authors are members of the working group established by Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to oversee the study.

Dentistry: Finance

Jane Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department provides funding to assist dentists with relocation.

Maria Caulfield: Health Education England provides assistance to dentists in training for some removal and relocation costs. The guidance for trainees requiring assistance is available at the following link: https://www.hee.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/documents/HEE%20National%20Relocation%20Framework%20Final%201%20November%202020.pdf  National Health Service trusts have individual relocation policies and eligibility criteria which are determined at a local level.

Radiotherapy: Medical Equipment

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of radiotherapy machines currently in use by the NHS which are older than 10 years.

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to ensure that hospital trusts are not using linear accelerator radiotherapy machines over the 10 year recommended lifespan.

Maria Caulfield: As of 31 March 2022, there were approximately 20 linear accelerator radiotherapy machines (LINACs) aged 10 years or over in routine National Health Service use.Since 2016, £162 million has been provided to support the replacement and upgrade of 100 LINACs. The 2021 Spending Review allocated £12 billion in operational capital for the NHS over the next three years. This investment will be managed by local systems and will include the modernisation of the radiotherapy estate, to replace any machine which is more than 10 years old.

Dental Services: Contracts

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS general dental contract holders in England have (a) terminated or handed back their contracts and (b) reduced their NHS commitment in (i) 2018-19, (ii) 2019-20, (iii) 2020-21 and (iv) 2021-22 to date.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of NHS dental contracts (a) terminated or (b) handed back in (i) 2018-19, (ii) 2019-20, (iii) 2020-21 and (iv) 2021-22 to date have been recommissioned.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average unit of dental activity value was for (a) all NHS dental contracts in England and (b) NHS dental contracts in England which were terminated or handed back in (i) 2018-19, (ii) 2019-20, (iii) 2020-21 and (iv) 2021-22 to date.

Maria Caulfield: In 2021/22, there were 55 contract terminations in England at the request of contractor, for reasons including retirement, ill-health and business decisions to cease National Health Service provision. Information on contract terminations prior to 2021/22 is not held centrally. The information requested on the proportion of contracts or units of dental activity (UDAs) which have been recommissioned is not held centrally.There is no UDA rate recorded within contracts, as a contract can include a number of different activity and quality measures. Therefore, there is no average UDA value for NHS contracts in England nor an average for NHS dental contracts in England which were terminated or handed back.

Leader of the House

All Party Groups: Lobbying

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Leader of the House, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact on parliamentary integrity of the involvement of lobbyists for for-profit companies in All-Party Parliamentary Groups.

Mark Spencer: The rules governing APPGs are overseen by the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards and are ultimately a matter for the House. The Committee on Standards is currently undertaking a wide-ranging inquiry into the rules relating to APPGs, with the Committee’s inquiry covering the "risk of APPGs being used for access by lobbyists, other organisations or by foreign governments, and how any conflicts of interests arising can be managed". The inquiry will also cover other areas such as the transparency and appropriateness of funding of APPG activities and secretarial support, the role of external secretariats and financial governance and controls. As part of its inquiry, the Committee has taken written and oral evidence which is available on its website (https://committees.parliament.uk/work/659/allparty-parliamentary-groups/publications/). I look forward to seeing the Committee’s recommendations once its report has been published.

Department for Education

Educational Psychology

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the SEND Review published on 29 March 2022 and his associated statement to the House of the same date, what his planned timetable is for additional educational psychologists to be in place supporting children and schools; and if he will make it his policy to provide hon. Members with regular updates on the number of educational psychologists in England who are working to support children and schools in the state sector.

Will Quince: The department has provided a further £10.3 million of funding to train over 200 more educational psychologists. Recruitment of the trainees will begin in September 2022, ready for the course to commence in September 2023, and trainees will graduate in 2026. Since 2020, the department has increased the number of educational psychologists whose training we fund from 160 to over 200 per academic year.

Coronavirus Catch-up Premium

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department plans to take to assess the effectiveness of the £650 million catch-up premium for the 2021-22 academic year; and what conditions need to be met for more funding to be made available in the next academic year.

Mr Robin Walker: The universal catch-up premium worth £650 million was delivered to schools during the 2020/21 academic year. The department followed that up with the recovery premium, which is providing over £300 million worth of funding during the 2021/22 academic year, targeted towards disadvantaged pupils. In October 2021, we announced a further £1 billion of funding that will extend the recovery premium for the next two academic years (2022/23 and 2023/24). Building on the Pupil Premium, this funding will help schools to deliver evidence-based approaches for supporting disadvantaged pupils. Further information on the Pupil Premium is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium.Schools must show how they are using their recovery premium effectively by reporting on their use of recovery premium as part of their pupil premium strategy statement, which must be published on a school’s website.The department commissioned Ipsos MORI, in partnership with Sheffield Hallam University and the Centre for Education and Youth, to carry out research to understand how schools have responded to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, including their use of the catch up and recovery premiums. In January 2022, we published the findings from the first year of research. The report is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-recovery-strategies-year-1-findings.The department commissioned Renaissance Learning, and their subcontractor the Education Policy Institute, to collect data from a sample of schools to provide an assessment of education lost and catch-up needs for pupils in schools in England, and to monitor progress over the course of the 2020-21 academic year and the autumn term 2021.The final findings from this research, published 28 March, includes data from the first half of the 2021/22 autumn term. Complete findings from the research can be found on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupils-progress-in-the-2020-to-2022-academic-years.The department is committed to continuing its research into academic progress since the pandemic and will soon be going out to tender for the next phase.

Children: Ukraine

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he would issue guidance on the arrangements for supporting schools and other educational institutions that will be welcoming the children of Ukrainian refugees who have recently come to the UK as soon as possible.

Mr Robin Walker: The department stands with Ukraine and continues to work across government to ensure we are supporting all Ukrainians entering the UK.On the 1 April, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, wrote a letter to local chief executives and directors of children’s services. The letter confirms that all school-aged children and young people who arrive from Ukraine will have the right to access suitable education and childcare whilst in the UK. The letter can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/secretary-of-state-letter-to-local-authorities-about-children-arriving-from-ukraine?utm_source=01%20April%202022%20C19&utm_medium=Daily%20Email%20C19&utm_campaign=DfE%20C19The Secretary of State has reminded local authorities that they are able to use flexibilities to admit above the published admission number and exceed the infant class size limit, as well as using the in-year Fair Access Protocol (FAP) to ensure all school-aged children can access suitable education. Guidance on the FAP can be accessed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1012993/FAP_Guidance.pdfThe Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has published:Guidance for local authorities on the Homes for Ukraine scheme, available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-guidance-for-councils?utm_source=01%20April%202022%20C19&utm_medium=Daily%20Email%20C19&utm_campaign=DfE%20C19.A frequently asked questions resource, available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-scheme-frequently-asked-questions?utm_source=01%20April%202022%20C19&utm_medium=Daily%20Email%20C19&utm_campaign=DfE%20C19.A welcome pack for families arriving in the UK from Ukraine, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/welcome-a-guide-for-ukrainians-arriving-in-the-uk. The department has also updated the guidance on school access rights for pupils from overseas, published here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/schools-admissions-applications-from-overseas-children?utm_source=01%20April%202022%20C19&utm_medium=Daily%20Email%20C19&utm_campaign=DfE%20C19, and are adding some questions and answers to DLUHC’s Homes for Ukraine frequently asked questions page, published here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-scheme-frequently-asked-questions?utm_source=01%20April%202022%20C19&utm_medium=Daily%20Email%20C19&utm_campaign=DfE%20C19.The above pieces of guidance were also communicated directly to local authorities on the 1 April 2022 via the department’s daily sector bulletin email.

Education: Feltham and Heston

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the attainment gap is in Feltham and Heston constituency at (a) EYFS, (b) Year 6/7, (c) GCSE; and what proportion of students started primary school deemed to be school ready in (i) 2018, (ii) 2019, (iii) 2020, (iv) 2021 and (v) 2022.

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment his Department has made of the change in the attainment gap since March 2020 for pupils in Feltham and Heston constituency in (a) EYFS, (b) primary school and (c) secondary school.

Mr Robin Walker: The department does not hold information on the proportion of pupils deemed school ready for primary school in Feltham and Heston. As a proxy, the percentage of children achieving at least the expected level across all early learning goals can be used to assess readiness for year 1. This is only available to local authority level. In the 2017/18 academic year, in Hounslow, 69.9% of children met this level compared to 70.2% in England. In the 2018/19 academic year, 71.9% of children in Hounslow met this level compared to 70.7% in England. Due to temporary disapplications and modifications to certain elements of the early years foundation stage (EYFS) during the pandemic, data relating to academic years 2019/20 and 2020/21 are not available.The department does not yet hold attainment data for the 2021/22 academic year. Data relating to EYFS, key stage 2 (KS2), and key stage 4 (KS4) will be published in autumn 2022.Parliamentary constituency data for Feltham and Heston is available for all pupils at the end of KS2 in academic years 2017/18 to 2018/19, and for all pupils at the end of KS4 in academic years 2017/18 to 2020/21 in the attached files. KS2 data in academic years 2019/20 or 2020/21 was not recorded because of the cancellation of statutory national curriculum assessments at KS2 due to the pandemic.The department does not publish an attainment gap by pupil characteristics at parliamentary constituency level. The department does publish the disadvantaged pupils’ attainment gap index at KS2 and KS4. This looks at changes in the attainment gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils at a national level in state-funded schools in England.For EYFS, the latest published data are in the annual ‘Early Years Foundation Stage Profile Results’ statistical release: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/early-years-foundation-stage-profile-results. As a proxy for disadvantage, the gap in average point score between children who are eligible for free school meals (FSM) and those who are not can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/dfdb83f9-f54f-4f11-b590-28d3064e3a79.For KS2, the latest published figure is in Figure 1 of the ‘2018/19 National Curriculum Assessments at Key Stage 2’ statistical release: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/851798/KS2_Revised_publication_text_2019_v3.pdf.For KS4, the latest published figure is in Figure 6/Table 14 of the ‘2020/21 Key Stage 4 Performance' statistical release: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/key-stage-4-performance-revised.Alternatively, information at local authority level is published that allows users to compare attainment by pupil characteristics. The closest information is for Hounslow.At EYFS, the gap in the average point score between those eligible for FSM and those not in Hounslow increased from 1.8 in 2017/18 to 1.9 in 2018/19 (academic years).At KS2, the percentage of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths between disadvantaged pupils and non-disadvantaged pupils in Hounslow decreased from 18 percentage points in 2017/18 to 17.5 percentage points in 2018/19 (academic years).At KS4, the latest data show that the gap in the average Attainment 8 score between disadvantaged pupils and non-disadvantaged pupils in Hounslow has widened since 2018/19 from 7.5 points to 7.7 points in 2019/20, and to 9.0 points in 2020/21 (academic years).150172_150173_table_KS2 (pdf, 180.7KB)150172_150173_table_KS4 (pdf, 187.6KB)

Children: Day Care

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the amount of money disbursed privately by people and families each year during parents' working hours on (a) childcare for children who too young to go to school, (b) before school activities, (c) after school activities and (c) holiday activities (i) in total and (ii) for children aged (A) one, (B) two, (C) three, (D) four, (E) five, (F) six, (G) seven, (H) eight, (I) nine, (J) ten and (K) 11 in each of the last fifteen years.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the amount of money disbursed from public funds on childcare, including on (a) children too young to go to school, (b) before-school activities, (c) after-school activities and (d) school holiday activities (i) in total and (ii) for children aged (A) one, (B) two, (C) three, (D) four, (E) five, (F) six, (G) seven, (H) eight, (I) nine, (J) ten and (K) 11 in each of the last fifteen years.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the amount of money disbursed by companies and other employers in the UK on childcare during hours in which parents are working, including on (a) children too young to go to school, (b) before-school activities, (c) after-school activities, (d) and holiday activities (i) in total and (ii) for children aged (A) one, (B) two, (C) three, (D) four, (E) five, (F) six, (G) seven, (H) eight, (I) nine, (J) 10 and (K) 11 in each of the last 15 years.

Will Quince: The department does not hold all of the requested information. However, the department does hold the data in the two attached tables:Payments made to local authorities for government-funded childcare for 2, 3, and 4-year-olds, as part of the dedicated schools grant since the 2013/14 financial year (tab 1 in the spreadsheet).Mean child-level weekly payments for childcare for 0 to 2-year-olds, 3 to 4-year-olds, 5 to 7-year-olds, 8 to 11-year-olds, and 12 to 14-year-olds. This is taken from the department’s childcare and early years survey of parents. It should be noted that the department only holds this data back to 2014. For the 2019 survey, the focus shifted to preschool children following a user consultation in 2018. As such, the data only covers 0 to-4-year-olds (tab 2 in the spreadsheet). In addition, the holiday activities and food programme was expanded to all local authorities in England in 2021. This programme provides free holiday club places with healthy meals and enriching activities to school-aged children who receive benefits-related free school meals.A breakdown of expenditure is not available for the age groups specified in the question. However, the department is investing over £200 million a year in this programme. Allocations at local authority level for the 2022/23 financial year are in the department’s grant determination letter, available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1042274/Grant_determination_letter_-_HAF_2022_Final.pdf.The government’s range of childcare support includes 15 hours free early education for all 3- and 4-year-olds, which can help save parents over £3,000 per year. In 2013, this was extended to the most disadvantaged 2-year-olds.In 2017, the department introduced an additional 15 hours free childcare for working parents of 3- and 4-year-olds, bringing the total amount of available childcare to eligible parents to 30 hours. This can save parents over £6,000 per year. To be eligible for this, a lone parent must earn from just over £7,900 a year, and a couple (where both are working) from just over £15,800 per year.The government has also introduced Tax-Free Childcare, available for working parents of children aged 0-11 (or up to 16 if their child is disabled) with the same income thresholds as 30 hours free childcare. This scheme can save parents up to £2,000 per year (or up to £4,000 for children with disabilities) and can be used alongside 30 hours free childcare.Working parents on a low income may also be eligible for help with up to 85% of their childcare costs through the childcare element of Universal Credit. This is subject to a monthly limit of £646 for one child or £1,108 for two or more children aged 0-16.151061_151062_151063_table (xlsx, 30.9KB)

Children: Day Care

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) affordability of childcare and (b) impact of that matter on (i) household debt and (ii) rent arrears of families with children in Birmingham.

Will Quince: The early years of a child’s life are the most crucial, which is why the department has invested more than £3.5 billion in each of the last three years to deliver free childcare offers, including the 30 hours per week for working parents, which is supporting thousands of families. We have introduced tax-free childcare and, through Universal Credit, parents can claim back up to 85% of their childcare costs, which is significantly more generous than the previous benefits system. The department is also investing millions in family hubs, where families can access important support services.The most recent data, published by Ipsos Mori, on parental views of affordability of childcare is from between 9-13 July 2021, and is available to view here: https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/childcare-use-perceived-impact-child-development-and-information-working-home-families-0-4-year. The data concludes that, among those who used formal childcare before COVID-19 and who are currently using (paid) formal childcare, for just over half (51%) the affordability of their weekly childcare costs is unchanged compared to before COVID-19. For 30%, their weekly childcare costs are easier to meet, and for 19% their weekly childcare costs are more difficult to meet. Among those who used formal childcare before COVID-19 and who are currently using formal childcare, for 46% their weekly childcare costs are unchanged compared to before COVID-19. For 29%, the costs have risen, and for 12% they have fallen.In the Spending Review, the department announced that we are investing additional funding for the early years entitlements worth £160 million in the 2022/23 financial year, £180 million in 2023/24 and £170 million in 2024/25, compared to the 2021/22 financial year. Furthermore, we are investing £180 million of recovery support in the early years sector. We will build a stronger, more expert workforce, enabling early years providers to deliver high quality teaching and help address the impact of the pandemic on the youngest children, particularly those in the most disadvantaged areas.The department will continue to look for ways to improve the cost, choice and availability of childcare. Alongside this, we have recently announced the biggest increase in the National Living Wage since its introduction from April 2022 to support working families more widely.The department does not hold information on the interaction between cost of childcare and rental arrears in the Birmingham area, or on the interaction with household debt.

Special Educational Needs

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children have been (a) of school age, (b) with an education, health and care plan (EHCP) and of school age, (c) in receipt of free school meals and (d) in receipt of free school meals, with an EHCP and of school age in each of the last 15 years.

Will Quince: The figures requested are provided in the attached table. Data is sourced from the school census and includes state-funded nursery, primary, secondary, and special schools, non-maintained special schools, and pupil referral units. Data from independent schools is not available at this level of detail.149310_table (pdf, 67.1KB)

Apprentices: Taxation

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which (a) Government departments and (b) other public sector organisations have used the Apprenticeship Levy to fund (i) MBAs and (ii) other academic masters qualifications for staff in each of the last three years; and how many staff have been supported in that way for those qualifications by (i) Government departments and (ii) other public sector organisations in those years.

Alex Burghart: The data the department publishes on public sector apprenticeships can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-and-traineeships/2021-22. This shows the average public sector starts between 2017/18 and 2020/21 as a percentage of headcount by sector. Public bodies in scope of the target are required to submit an annual return to the department by the end of September. The information collected is limited to employee headcounts and overall apprentice numbers. The department expects to publish data for the 2021/22 public sector target in our apprenticeships and traineeships full 2021/22 academic year release in November. The department does not hold data in the format requested on whether public sector organisations, including other government departments, have utilised government funding for apprenticeships that include either an MBA or other academic masters qualification. The data reported by public sector organisations does not include a breakdown by level or standard.An MBA is not a mandatory qualification in any current apprenticeship standard. A mandatory master’s level qualification, which could have included an MBA, was previously included in the Level 7 Senior Leader standard but was removed in March 2021. This followed a request to the Institute of Apprenticeships and Technical Education by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, to review the standard to make sure all apprenticeships represent value for money and that government funding supports those who can benefit the most from our high-quality apprenticeships.Of the 647 apprenticeship standards developed by employers, 56 are at Level 7, which is equivalent to master’s level, and 27 of these have a mandatory degree qualification. Details of apprenticeship standards can be found here: https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/?includeApprovedForDelivery=true.In the 2020/21 academic year there were 19,570 apprenticeship starts at Level 7 which represented 6% of total starts for the year.

Special Educational Needs: Finance

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what funding announced in the Special Educational Needs and Disability and Alternative Provision Green Paper was previously announced in the (a) Spending Review 2021 and (b) any other announcement by his Department.

Will Quince: The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) green paper published on 29 March 2022 sets out proposals for a system that offers children and young people the opportunity to thrive, with access to the right support, in the right place, and at the right time, so they can fulfil their potential and lead happy, healthy and productive adult lives.The funding commitments in the green paper reflect what was secured as part of the Spending Review 2021 settlement, reflecting the ongoing investment into the high needs system. In the green paper, the department announced the investment of £70 million to support delivery through a SEND and AP change programme, £300 million for the ‘safety valve’ intervention programme, and £85 million for the Delivering Better Value in SEND programme to support local authorities with deficits.

Free School Meals: Migrants

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will take steps to ensure that the provision of free schools meals is extended to children from immigrant families.

Will Quince: The department will be extending free school meal (FSM) eligibility to children from all households with no recourse to public funds. Further information is available at: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2022-03-24/hcws714. This builds on the department’s existing benefits-related criteria which ensures 1.7 million children receive a free nutritious school meal each day, and the universal infant FSM policy which has been in place since 2014, benefitting a further 1.3 million infant children.

Special Educational Needs: Finance

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a new multi-sensory impairment education fund to support children with multi-sensory impairment.

Will Quince: I refer the hon. Member for Huddersfield to the answer I gave on 8 March 2022 to Question 133247 and to the answer I gave on 22 March to Question 138327.

Special Educational Needs: Finance

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much (a) public money has been made available to fund SEND provision in English (i) mainstream and (ii) special schools in each of the last fifteen years and (b) he has budgeted to provide for each of those purposes in each of the next three financial years.

Will Quince: The department makes available funding for special educational needs and disability (SEND) provision though the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) to local authorities. Within the DSG, the majority of funding is for mainstream schools. When allocating funding to mainstream schools, local authorities indicate a notional amount that is for pupils with special educational needs, but schools decide how much of their overall budgets to spend supporting those pupils. The department does not collect that information from schools.The DSG also includes high needs funding for children and young people with more complex SEND. Local authorities use their high needs budgets to provide additional funding to mainstream schools, for these pupils, and to fund special schools.Table 1 below shows the amounts of high needs funding the department has made available to local authorities. This table goes back to the 2015/16 financial year. Figures for earlier years are either not comparable or not available because of the way that the DSG was allocated prior to 2015/16.Table 1Financial yearTotal high needs block funding (£ million)2015-165,2472016-175,3002017-185,8272018-196,1152019-206,2792020-217,0632021-227,9062022-23 (Provisional, including supplementary funding)8,981Of the above amounts of high needs funding, local authorities have told us how much they have made available to mainstream schools and special schools in budget statements provided to the department under section 251 of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009. These amounts are set out in table 2 below. Table 2 does not include high needs funding that local authorities have made available for under 5 year olds, and for young people in further education and alternative provision: these categories of planned expenditure are included in the amounts in table 1.Table 2Financial yearMainstream primary and secondary schools (£ million)Special schools (£ million)2015/161,2542,9122016/171,3082,9782017/181,3483,1262018/191,4433,4482019/201,4833,7882020/21N/AN/A2021/222,0634,517 Due to some categories of expenditure changed from year to year, the amounts in the table above are not on a precise like-for-like basis. In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the department did not collect this information from local authorities in the 2020/21 financial year. Local authorities have not yet advised the department of their planned high needs expenditure in the 2022/23 financial year. Neither the department nor local authorities have yet budgeted for high needs spending in the 2023/24 and 2024/25 financial years.

Apprentices: Taxation

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people have (a) commenced and (b) completed an MBA using funds raised by the Apprenticeship Levy in each of the last three years.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the total cost of MBAs funded through the Apprenticeships Levy in each of the last three years.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) companies and limited liability partnerships, (b) charities and (c) other organisations that have used the Apprenticeships Levy to fund MBAs for staff in each of the last three years.

Alex Burghart: A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is not a mandatory qualification in any current apprenticeship standard.A mandatory master’s level qualification, which could have included an MBA, was previously included in the Level 7 Senior Leader standard, however, it was removed in March 2021. This followed a request to the Institute of Apprenticeships and Technical Education by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education. The request was to review the standard to ensure all apprenticeships represent value for money and that government funding supports those who can benefit the most from our high-quality apprenticeships.We do not have data on the number of apprentices on the level 7 senior leader standard who undertook an MBA as part of their apprenticeship. We therefore cannot provide figures on the cost of government funding provided or the number or type of employers that have received government funding for MBA qualifications as part of an apprenticeship.

T-levels: Finance

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what funding he (a) has made available in (i) each of the last five financial years and (ii) the 2021-22 financial year and (b) plans to make available in the (A) next financial year and (B) subsequent three financial years for the purpose of ensuring a successful transition between BTECs and T-Levels.

Alex Burghart: The department recognises that significant additional funding will be needed for the successful introduction and delivery of T Levels. We announced in 2017 that T Level programmes would be backed by up to an additional £500 million of investment every year when fully rolled out. Some of this additional £500 million is included in the £1.6 billion extra announced for 16-19 funding by the 2024/25 financial year, compared with the 2021/22 financial year, in the recent Spending Review.We have made available £268 million in capital funding for the first three waves of T Level delivery, starting in September 2020, 2021, and 2022. This funding is being used to improve the quality of facilities and equipment that will be used to deliver T Levels. Eligible providers will also be able to access training to help prepare their teachers and leaders.As set out in the table below, we have also allocated £207.6 million to help the sector build capacity for T Level industry placements and deliver placements to students on existing programmes. From the 2020/21 academic year, we have allocated £3.2 million in industry placement funding for those on T Level programmes. In addition, T Levels include more teaching hours and are more prescriptive in the content than general 16-19 study programmes. Therefore, four larger bands have been added to the 16-19 funding bands to ensure T level providers receive the additional funding required.Academic YearsFunding stream2017/182018/192019/202020/212021/22Totals to dateCapacity and delivery funding£0£57.4m£53.6m£52.2m£44.4m£207.6mIndustry placement funding£0£0£0£0.5m£2.7m£3.2m The funding data for the financial years 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25 is not yet available.

National Curriculum Tests

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what advice his Department has given to schools on how SAT results will be used in the 2021-22 academic year to measure future performance.

Mr Robin Walker: On 25 March 2022, the department published updated primary school accountability guidance. This guidance provides clarification about the rationale for the return of primary tests and assessments in 2022. It includes further information about key stage 2 accountability arrangements and the use of academic year 2021/22 key stage 2 school performance data. It also provides additional detail on the department’s planned methodological changes to primary progress measures for 2022. The guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/primary-school-accountability.

Schools: Staff

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate he has made of the number of teachers and school staff off sick with covid=19 in the last two months for which data is available;  what discussions he (a) has had and (b) plans to have with schools leaders on that matter; and what steps he is taking to support schools with staff absences.

Mr Robin Walker: It continues to be the department’s absolute priority to support schools to deliver face to face, high quality education. School leaders and staff have worked incredibly hard to make sure pupils have been able to remain in school, while dealing with higher levels of staff absence than normal.The Education Setting (EdSet) survey asks schools and colleges to report data such as on-site attendance and COVID-19 absence. From 7 March 2022, the survey has changed from daily to weekly. Data will be collected every Thursday and published on a fortnightly basis with the latest publication available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.From 7 March 2022, the department only collects data on overall absence rather than specific reasons for absence. The proportion of absent teachers and leaders, and other school staff, in the last two months can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/a7b7d917-0f50-4de7-ac15-9d1dd8501107.The department remains hugely grateful to all school staff for their work, which has consistently kept over 99.9% of schools open this academic year. School leaders are best placed to determine the workforce required to meet the needs of pupils. However, we recognise that absence remains high in some schools and that this poses a challenge for staff.To support schools experiencing the most significant workforce absence and funding pressures, the department re-introduced the COVID-19 workforce fund in the autumn term. The department had since extended the fund until Easter to cover the cost of term-time absences over a threshold from 22 November 2021 until 8 April 2022.The department is also supporting staff wellbeing and is funding peer support, individual supervision, and counselling from experts to school leaders through the charity Education Support. Around 2,000 school leaders will benefit until March 2023.Last November, the department launched the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter, which schools and colleges are encouraged to sign up to, it is co-produced with the education sector as shared commitments from government, Ofsted, and schools and colleges to protect and promote the wellbeing of staff.The department is also offering state-funded schools and colleges a grant to pay for senior mental health lead training, providing skills and knowledge to implement a ‘whole school or college approach’ to mental health and wellbeing in a setting. This is part of the governments’ commitment to offer this training to all schools and colleges by 2025.

Teachers: Coronavirus

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of impact of lifting of covid-19 restrictions on the ability of schools to get substitute teachers for staff off-work with covid-19; and what discussions he (a) has had and (b) plans to have with sector leaders on their ability to cover staff absences.

Mr Robin Walker: Temporary staff, including supply teachers, have played a key role in supporting schools to maintain face-to-face education, particularly over winter due to the Omicron variant. The department is hugely grateful to all school and college staff for their work, which has consistently kept over 99.9% of schools open last term.The department will continue to maintain regular contact with a range of external stakeholders including supply agencies, key trade bodies, and trade unions, to monitor the supply market.

Coronavirus Catch-up Premium

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how his Department plans to divide the £349 million catch up premium for tutoring between schools; and whether his Department plans to weight that funding so schools receiving high levels of Pupil Premium will be allocated proportionally more funding.

Mr Robin Walker: The department announced on Thursday 31 March 2022 plans to simplify the National Tutoring Programme for the next academic year. This will include providing funding directly to schools, which can then design their own tutoring offer according to the needs of their pupils. This new approach will build on our successful introduction this year of school-led tutoring and is consistent with our view that schools are best-placed to determine what works best for them.Schools will receive information on their National Tutoring Programme funding allocation for the 2022/23 academic year early in the summer term. Funding allocations will be determined by each school’s number of disadvantaged pupils, which will mean that funding is targeted towards pupils that need tutoring most.Our guidance and support for schools will make clear that their tutoring offer must support disadvantaged pupils. Schools will be asked to report on how they have delivered tutoring, and to which pupils.

Home Education: Registration

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent progress his Department has made on bringing forward legislative proposals to introduce a compulsory register of home education children.

Mr Robin Walker: As outlined in the children not in school consultation response, which was published on 3 February 2022, the government is committed to a form of local authority register for children not in school. We continue to engage with stakeholders on these proposals and we hope to legislate on this measure at the earliest suitable opportunity. The consultation response is available to view here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/children-not-in-school.

Prime Minister

Prime Minister: Lord Lebedev

Holly Lynch: To ask the Prime Minister, whether he met Alexander Lebedev in April 2018 in any capacity.

Boris Johnson: The Prime Minister has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Independent Adviser On Ministers' Interests

Angela Rayner: To ask the Prime Minister, when he met the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Interests this year.

Boris Johnson: I have had discussions on a number of occasions with my Independent Adviser this year.

Owen Paterson

Angela Rayner: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2021 to Question 80323 on Owen Paterson, whether he met Owen Paterson in the Palace of Westminster in (a) November or (b) October 2021.

Boris Johnson: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given in 80823.

Department for International Trade

Trade Agreements: India

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 8 March 2022 to Question 131344 on Trade Agreements: India, what estimate she has made of the impact of (a) a full trade deal with India and (b) an interim trade deal with India on (i) each region and (ii) each nation of the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: HM Government is seeking a comprehensive free trade agreement with India, and we will secure the right deal for British businesses and consumers.At the launch of negotiations with India, we published a scoping assessment on GOV.UK, and a full impact assessment will be published prior to implementation of a deal.

Environment Protection: Foreign Investment in UK

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps her Department has taken to increase foreign direct investment in the UK’s green industries.

Mike Freer: The Department, alongside the Office for Investment, drives green investment through several levers. Examples include the Clean Growth Campaign, which supports strategic investments into green supply chain capability and capacity, as well as the Investment Atlas, which promotes strategically important investment opportunities online, and our High Potential Opportunities programme, which highlights geography specific opportunities. We work to promote investment into green technologies across the UK, including opportunities in the Tees Valley into heat networks, carbon fibre, and biomanufacturing sectors. In the period 18 November 2020 to 24 September 2021 the Department supported 46 investments linked to the Prime Minister’s ten-point plan for a green industrial revolution. These projects had a combined capital expenditure of £2.6 billion and created 2,296 new jobs. For further detail I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 30 November to Question UIN 79334.

Raw Materials: Russia

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of banning the import of all luxury goods containing raw materials sourced from Russia following that country's invasion of Ukraine.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: In lockstep with our allies, we are introducing the largest and most severe package of economic sanctions that Russia has ever faced. This includes the ban on exporting certain luxury goods in the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) (Amendment) (No.8) Regulations 2022, laid on 14th April.We do not speculate on future sanctions.

Solar Power: China

Alicia Kearns: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, in the context of the US Commerce Department's recently launched investigation into Chinese solar suppliers for tariff circumnavigation, if the Government will (a) launch a similar investigation and (b) take steps to ensure that Chinese suppliers operating in the UK do so legally and without circumnavigation.

Penny Mordaunt: The Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) conducts trade remedy investigations, including on the circumvention of existing anti-dumping or countervailing measures. The UK did not transition the EU’s anti-dumping measure on solar glass, due to a lack of evidence that it was necessary. As there is no existing measure in place on solar products from China, the TRA cannot launch a similar circumvention review.The TRA can undertake new reviews, so if domestic industry have concerns that they are being impacted by dumping, including on the dumping of solar products, they can contact the TRA’s pre-application office at contact@traderemedies.gov.uk

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, in the context of the EU dropping its blanket ban on the EU TRIPS waiver, whether she has plans for the UK to do the same; what assessment she has made of the impact of the UK's opposition to the TRIPS waiver on the reputation of the UK; and what steps her Department plans to take to facilitate global vaccine production in place of a TRIPS waiver.

Penny Mordaunt: The UK has engaged constructively in the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) waiver debate and will continue to do so when presented with further formal text proposals. This has not yet happened. HM Government remains open to initiatives that could help with equitable vaccine distribution and their prompt administration, but there is no evidence that waiving intellectual property protections would advance this objective. Instead, the UK is working with international and regional partners, including the African Union, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, CEPI (the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations), international development banks and the private sector to catalyse strategic investments for vaccine manufacturing in low- and middle-income countries.

Overseas Investment: Russia

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a complete ban on all new UK commercial investment in Russia.

Mike Freer: On 6 April 2022, HM Government announced a ban on all new outward investment to Russia. UK investment in Russia was worth over £11 billion in 2020. This ban will be another major hit to the Russian economy and further limit their future capabilities.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Religious Freedom

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether arrangements have been made for delegates to the global summit to promote freedom of religion or belief to hear directly from minority groups experiencing violence and oppression in countries across the globe.

Vicky Ford: The UK-hosted International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) in July 2022 will drive forward international efforts on this agenda and demonstrate the UK's leading role in supporting freedom and openness. This conference will allow us to use our global influence to promote and protect freedom of religion or belief for all internationally. Preparations for the conference are ongoing, including planning for participants to hear directly from those suffering restrictions to freedom of religion or belief.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the written evidence, AFG0015, submitted by the Sulha Alliance to the Defence Committee’s inquiry into the Withdrawal from Afghanistan, published on 14 October 2021, how many of the 183 Afghan GardaWorld contractors are considered eligible under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.

James Cleverly: On 6 January the Government announced the opening of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS). Under the third pathway, and in the first year, the Government will consider for resettlement British Council and Gardaworld contractors and Chevening alumni who are at risk. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will be in touch with those eligible to support them through next steps.

Overseas Investment: Russia

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of sanctioning the Moscow Stock Exchange by preventing the purchase of stocks on the Moscow Exchange by individuals from the UK.

James Cleverly: The Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2022 which came into force on the 1st of March prevents all UK persons from buying new issuances of Russian stocks, regardless of which market they are listed on and any new issuances of Russian Sovereign Debt.With our allies we have introduced the most significant economic sanctions that Russia has ever faced and they are having an impact. The Moscow Stock Exchange was closed for an unprecedented 4 weeks from 25th February to 24th March. It has been partially re-opened but restrictions remain on activities, particularly for foreign participants. The stock exchange remains more than 20% lower than in mid-February.

Russia: Sanctions

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2022 to Question 139243 on Russia: Sanctions, whether shipping carrying Russian-originated cargo, but (a) owned, (b) operated, (c) controlled, (d) chartered, (e) registered or (f) flagged by or to countries other than Russia, including NATO countries, are banned from entering British ports; what representations she plans to make to EU and NATO countries to institute similar bans on all vessels carrying Russian-originated cargo; and if she will take steps, in conjunction with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and HM Treasury to ensure that Russia is excluded from all aspects of the London Commercial Insurance market.

James Cleverly: The UK Government has banned all ships that are Russian owned, operated, controlled, chartered, registered or flagged from entering British ports. We continue to consider further trade measures to support our policy of ratcheting up economic pressure on Russia. Nothing is off the table until Russia reverses its illegal invasion of Ukraine, stops undermining Ukraine's sovereignty and abides by international law.

Ukraine: Russia

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of offering Ukrainian authorities support and provision for (a) specialist medical services for victims of sexual violence during the war in Ukraine and (b) a dedicated specialist prosecution service to ensure justice for victims of sexual violence used as a weapon during the war in Ukraine.

James Cleverly: The UK is supporting survivors through our humanitarian funding. We have worked with partners to refer the situation in Ukraine to the International Criminal Court and to establish a Commission of Inquiry through the UN Human Rights Council. The UK is funding the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, to gather evidence of human rights violations and abuses. We are deploying specialist UK expertise to strengthen the response to sexual violence in Ukraine. On 13 April at the UN Security Council, Lord Ahmad launched the Murad Code, which sets out how those collecting evidence of conflict-related sexual violence can respect survivors' rights and ensure investigations are safer, more ethical, and more effective.

Ukraine: Russia

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 23 of March 2022 to Question 145909 on Chechnya and Russia: Sanctions, whether she has made an additional assessment of the potential merits of sanctioning, alongside absentia prosecutions, people involved in (a) sexual violence as a weapon of war and (b) wider war crimes committed during the siege of Mariupol.

James Cleverly: We are working with international partners to strengthen the response to conflict-related sexual violence. We have worked with partners to refer the situation in Ukraine to the International Criminal Court, to establish a Commission of Inquiry through the UN Human Rights Council and, with the support of Ukraine, the OSCE Mission of Experts.We condemn the Russian atrocities in Mariupol, including attacks on schools sheltering civilians and the abduction and deportation of Ukrainians. Russia's use of indiscriminate force against civilians in its illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine amounts to war crimes, and the Putin regime must be held accountable for the devastation and destruction it has inflicted on the people of Ukraine.We continue to hold the Russian Government to account. We have announced an unprecedented package of sanctions targeting over 1400 individuals and businesses since Putin's invasion. We will continue to apply this pressure against Russia, in coordination with allies, through further waves of sanctions.

Counter Disinformation Unit: Staff

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many officials in her Department are working in the Counter Disinformation Unit.

James Cleverly: Addressing the challenges of disinformation and misinformation is a whole-of-Government effort, and FCDO works on this closely with all relevant Departments, including the Counter Disinformation Unit (CDU) in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.The CDU is a standing unit that draws on a range of expertise from across government, social media platforms and disinformation specialists in academia and civil society to lead the fight against misinformation and disinformation.It would not be appropriate to comment on operational details such as staffing levels publicly as doing so would give malign actors insight into our capabilities. However staffing requirements are continually reviewed to ensure appropriate levels of resourcing, including surge capacity where needed.

Development Aid: Vaccination

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what (a) number and (b) percentage of UK donated surplus vaccines that have been unusable to short expiration dates.

Amanda Milling: Decisions on donations are driven by the availability of vaccines from domestic supply. Avoiding expiry and wastage of vaccines is a core objective determining when and where we share or deploy doses. For doses that we donate to COVAX, the UK donates doses before production has finished. This means the doses are delivered straight from the production line, arriving at COVAX with the same shelf life as they would have if they were being delivered to the UK for domestic use. Vaccines delivered by COVAX are delivered in consultation with countries and distributed in line with the World Health Organisation's 'equitable allocation framework'. Over 90% of doses in Q4 2021 were delivered to COVAX with over 3 month's shelf life.For all bilateral donations we have sought assurances that recipients have the capacity to roll-out the quantity of doses in line with the national vaccination programmes ahead of their expiry date. Of the doses donated bilaterally by the end of December, 85,530 (1.6 per cent) were destroyed having reached their expiry date. We continue to monitor the distribution of donated vaccines.

Argentina: Armed Forces

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Argentine counterpart on reports of a further military deployment in Tierra del Fuego, particularly on the security of the Falkland Islands.

Amanda Milling: UK Government ministers and officials are in regular contact with their Argentine opposite numbers. For example, the Minister for Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean met with Foreign Minister Cafiero on 11 March. The United Kingdom has no doubt about its sovereignty over the Falkland Islands and South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands and surrounding maritime areas, and no doubt about the principle and the right of self-determination for the Falkland Islanders. The UK Government remains absolutely committed to the protection of the Falkland Islands and its population. Our forces in the Falkland Islands are defensive and the levels are kept under review: the UK undertakes regular assessments of possible threats to the Islands to ensure that an appropriate defence capability is maintained.

Yazidis: Missing Persons

Andrew Lewer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking with her international counterparts to help trace the 2763 missing Yazidi women.

Amanda Milling: The UK supports the implementation of Iraq's Yazidi Survivors' law of March 2021 and we engage regularly with partner governments, NGOs, survivor networks and Iraqi Government ministries to advocate for full financial provision of the law. Through UK support to the International Organisation for Migration, we provide technical and practical assistance to the Directorate of Yazidi Survivor Affairs, whose mandate includes searching for missing survivors. UK programme funding also supports psycho-social care for female survivors of conflict-related sexual violence. We have contributed £2 million to the UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh (UNITAD), whose work in gathering evidence of crimes, including against minority communities, we continue to champion.

Development Aid: Vaccination

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps is the UK taking to support measures to scale up manufacturing capacity of vaccines in low and middle income countries.

Amanda Milling: Successful vaccine manufacturing needs commercially viable businesses operating within a well-developed ecosystem of skilled workers, access to innovative technology, effective regulation and functioning markets. The UK is working with international and regional partners, including the African Union, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, CEPI (the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations), international development banks and the private sector to catalyse strategic investments for vaccine manufacturing in low and middle income countries. This includes work to forecast future vaccine markets and procurement options. The UK actively supports the new "Partnership for African Vaccine Manufacturing" (PAVM) initiative to implement a roadmap for African vaccine manufacturing. We have also provided technical support to develop business cases for vaccine production in South Africa, Senegal and Morocco.

British International Investment: DP World

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department is reviewing the contract between British International Investment (CDC) and DP World for port infrastructure projects in (a) Egypt, (b) Senegal and (c) Somaliland; and what assessment she has made of the impact of UK public funding for those projects on (1) workers’ rights and (2) the (A) inclusivity and (B) sustainability of development in those countries.

Amanda Milling: British International Investment's (BII) contract with DP World is not being considered as part of the review being undertaken by the Secretary of State for Transport of Government-held contracts with P&O Ferries or its parent, DP World, as BII operates at arm's length to the Government and all investment decisions by BII are made independently. BII's partnership with DP World is therefore not in scope for this HMG Review. The FCDO is not reviewing this contract as it adheres to the investment policy and policy for responsible investing that the FCDO has agreed with BII.BII's Policy on Responsible Investing includes a focus on job quality, including the rights of workers and employees, is aligned to international best practice and sets out the approach to environment, social and governance (ESG) matters. All investments - including BII's investment partnership with DP World in Africa - are subject to these standards.Africa has a sixth of the world's population, but accounts for just 4 per cent of global containerised shipping volumes. Ports are vital to the long-term prosperity of the continent. BII partnered with DP World to modernise and expand ports and logistics across Africa starting with three ports in Dakar, Sokhna and Berbera. Trade enabled through the three initial ports will improve access to vital goods for 35 million people and support 5 million jobs (138,000 created). By 2035, an estimated $51 billion in additional trade is forecast to pass through the ports, equivalent to 3 per cent of Senegal's GDP, 3 per cent of Egypt's GDP and 6 per cent of Somaliland's GDP.

Development Aid: Vaccination

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps are being taken to enable the UK to deliver its commitment to share 70m vaccine does by June 2022.

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many vaccines has the UK donated to low and middle income countries to date.

Amanda Milling: The UK champions vaccine access for all countries through our support for COVAX. The UK was one of the earliest and largest donors to COVAX, contributing £548 million to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC). Our early funding gave the COVAX AMC the purchase power to secure deals with manufacturers to supply internationally approved vaccines for up to 92 low and middle-income countries. So far, COVAX has helped deliver over 1.16 billion doses to 145 participants.As of 31 March 2022, the UK has delivered over 51.6 million COVID-19 vaccine doses either to COVAX for allocation and distribution in line with their fair allocation model or directly to recipient countries on a bilateral basis. An additional 16.7 million doses have been committed to COVAX, to be delivered in the near future direct from the manufacturers. Future decisions on vaccine donations continue to depend on supply chain reliability, Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advice and the ability of countries to absorb and deploy vaccines.

Saudi Arabia: Military Bases

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with the UK Ambassador to Saudi Arabia on his recent visit to King Fahd Air Based; who the Ambassador met on that visit; and if she will enquire how many UK nationals were working at the Air Base at the time of his visit.

Amanda Milling: The Foreign Secretary has not discussed the visit with the UK Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. The British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia met the Commander of King Fahd Air Base and other Saudi and UK representatives. For operational and personal security reasons, we cannot disclose the number of UK nationals.

Qatar: Conditions of Employment

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 December 2021 to Question 82118 on Qatar: Football, what discussions she has had on reforms to workers' rights in Qatar since December 2021.

Amanda Milling: We welcome the steps that Qatar has taken to date on workers' rights, and maintain that the priority now is full implementation of those reforms. My officials discussed these on 30 March with representatives from Qatar's Ministry of Labour and the International Labour Organization office based in Doha. We look forward to continuing to support Qatar's efforts in this area.

Development Aid: Education

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much ODA spend on education projects for which there is data had girls' education as a (a) component and (b) principal aim in each of the last five years.

Vicky Ford: The UK has spent the following on bilateral education ODA in the last five years for which figures are available (2021 data is not yet available and will be published later in 2022 as part of the Statistics on International Development):2020: £545 million2019: £789 million2018: £686 million2017: £785 million2016: £964 millionFCDO's education investments are focused on supporting access to quality schooling and improving learning outcomes for all children, especially girls. All education programmes are gender responsive and given the specific barriers that girls face, the vast majority of our programmes also involve targeted interventions to support girls and other marginalised groups. For example, our flagship £500 million Girls' Education Challenge programme and £70 million Girls' Education in South Sudan programme are focused primarily on girls' education.In addition to our Education ODA, the UK funds many other programmes that support girls' education such as programmes to tackle violence against girls and child marriage, and support to sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Domestic Abuse

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department has taken to support victims of domestic violence where the perpetrators are serving military personnel.

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support his Department's domestic abuse champion provides to (a) civilians who are victims of domestic violence perpetrated by serving military personnel and (b) serving or ex-serving military personnel who are victims of domestic violence perpetrated by serving personnel. .

Leo Docherty: Since 2018, we have engaged extensively on the issue of domestic violence, including with survivors' networks, and will shortly publish a revised version of our domestic abuse policy, further making it clear that domestic abuse is incompatible with military and civilian values. Wide ranging support for those impacted by domestic abuse is delivered through the single Services' specialist welfare teams, Unit Welfare Officers, medical staff and through pastoral care. This often involves emotional and practical support, safety and safeguarding planning, multi-agency working and signposting to external resources.The Ministry of Defence's (MOD) Domestic Abuse Champion (DAC) acts as a critical friend to the Defence Domestic Abuse Working Group and promotes our initiatives aimed at tackling domestic abuse for all Defence personnel (serving and civilian). The MOD DAC is working to build an environment in which preventing and responding to domestic abuse and support is an everyday part of our conversations and where both victims and survivors feel confident to speak about their experiences and know where to get support.

Armed Forces: Domestic Abuse and Sexual Offences

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's procedure is when establishing whether an armed forces member convicted of domestic violence, sexual assault or abuse should be (a) dismissed and (b) discharged.

Leo Docherty: In relation to sexual offences, on 30 March 2022 Defence published a 'Zero Tolerance to Sexual Offences' policy: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/defence-publishes-its-zero-tolerance-approach-to-sexual-offences. This policy mandates that anyone convicted of a sexual offence will be discharged. In relation to other non-sexual offences which may be committed under the catch-all term of 'domestic violence', such as battery or actual bodily harm, the Services will consider any conviction awarded to a Service person (Regular or Reserve) and take proportionate action in response. Serious offences will result in discharge.

Warships: Repairs and Maintenance

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total cost was to his Department for the maintenance of Royal Navy Boats for each year, for the years 2010 to 2021.

Jeremy Quin: The table below sets out the total annual cost, by financial year, of maintenance of Royal Navy boats for the years 2012 to 2021. Data before 2012 is no longer held centrally. We have defined “boats” for this purpose as boats and small craft under 50 metres in length and have included boats used by UK Strategic Command. Financial YearTotal expenditure (£ million)2012-1327.2452013-1423.7622014-1523.8112015-1629.8492016-1734.2712017-1825.6362018-1933.5842019-2028.0602020-2128.683

International Military Services

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether IMS will now be closed down following the settlement of its debt to Iran, or whether he expects it still to be operating in the next financial year.

Mr Ben Wallace: The closing down of International Military Services (IMS Ltd) is currently underway and is expected to be completed in Financial Year 2022-23.

Armed Forces: Antitank Missiles

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many NLAW missile systems the Armed Forces has in stores as of 28 March 2022.

Jeremy Quin: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on 2 March 2022 to Question 129752 to the right hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Jones). 129752 - Anti Tank Missiles (docx, 18.4KB)

Royal Fleet Auxiliary: Repairs and Maintenance

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how long Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels have spent in repair yards being refitted in each year between 2010 and 2021.

Jeremy Quin: Based on available information, the table below sets out how many days Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels have spent in refit for each year between 2012 and 2021. Information for earlier years is incomplete and risks being inaccurate. YearTime in refit (days)2012740201363220144332015788201620520177822018976201980420206832021764

Warships: Repairs and Maintenance

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, who holds the contracts for the maintenance of Royal Navy boats.

Jeremy Quin: The provision of maintenance, support and spares for Royal Navy boats and small craft under 50 metres is currently delivered by six suppliers. BAE SystemsBabcock InternationalMarine Specialised Technologies (MST)Holyhead MarineGriffon HoverworkAtlas Elekronik UK

Royal Fleet Auxiliary: Repairs and Maintenance

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total cost to his Department of (a) repairs and (b) refits to Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels has been in each year between 2010 and 2021.

Jeremy Quin: The table below sets out the total annual cost, by financial year, of repairs and refits to Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels between 2010 and 2021. Financial Yeara) Repair costs (£ million)b) Refit cost (£ million)2010-111.82938.7172011-121.28318.8532012-131.77075.4592013-142.05580.8202014-1512.99488.8872015-167.61759.9412016-178.70424.2292017-188.35081.3792018-194.83049.6092019-207.54364.5702020-219.76060.5132021-2211.92468.602

Russia: Arms Trade

Sam Tarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his officials' recent visit to the March 2022 World Defence show in Saudi Arabia, what assessment he has made of global access to arms produced by Russian manufacturers currently sanctioned by the UK Government.

Jeremy Quin: Russian equipment was present at the World Defence Show (where there was also a Ukrainian stand). Russia’s arms sales are not constrained by any legal restrictions other than those arising from UN arms embargoes. As such, most countries can currently choose to purchase Russian arms. In these circumstances we believe that a senior UK presence at such events is important to impress upon potential purchasers that alternatives may exist to acquiring Russian weapons. In doing so we hope to deter support for the Russian Arms industry, economy, and potentially Armed Forces.

Saudi Arabia: Arms Trade

Sam Tarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence,  what discussions he has had with his Saudi Arabian counterpart on the March 2022 World Defence Show.

Jeremy Quin: The Secretary of State for Defence was represented at the World Defence Show but could not attend personally due to other Departmental priorities. No discussions were held at the event with the Saudi Defence Secretary.

Defence Business Services: Blackpool

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether negotiations with representatives of the Public and Commercial Services Union on relocation of Defence Business Services to Blackpool have concluded.

Jeremy Quin: The Ministry of Defence has been in regular detailed discussion with the Trade Unions during the Workplace Programme on the relocation terms for all affected staff. These discussions will continue until submission of the full business case. Subject to approval of the business case, formal consultation will commence for the required 30 days.

Armed Forces: Antiaircraft Missiles

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many starstreak missiles the Armed Forces has as of 29 March 2022.

Jeremy Quin: As is usual practice, for reasons of safeguarding Operational Security, I cannot comment on stock numbers for starstreak missiles.

Counter Disinformation Unit: Staff

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) officials in his Department and (b) armed forces officers are working in the Counter Disinformation Unit.

James Heappey: Addressing the challenges of disinformation and misinformation is a whole of Government effort, and the Ministry of Defence works closely with all relevant Departments including the Counter Disinformation Unit (CDU) in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).The CDU is a standing unit which draws on a range of expertise from across government, social media platforms and disinformation specialists in academia and civil society to lead the fight against misinformation and disinformation.Staffing requirements are continually reviewed to ensure appropriate levels of resourcing, including surge capacity as needed.

Africa: Russia

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the (a) nature and (b) impact on global security of Russian disinformation campaigns in Africa.

James Heappey: Russian disinformation campaigns in Africa are a significant concern. The Kremlin narrative undermines valuable work being undertaken in counter terrorism and peacekeeping operations and has a destabilising effect. The Ministry of Defence is working closely with other Government Departments - particularly the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the HMG lead - to identify and counter disinformation from Putin's Russia and others.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Sarah Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of when the Defence Recruitment System will again be operational online.

Leo Docherty: The Army, in collaboration with Defence Digital, is working hard to resume digital recruiting through the Defence Recruitment System (DRS) as soon as possible. In the meantime, the Army has enacted its Business Continuity Plan, while DRS remains offline.

Afghanistan: Interpreters

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many interpreters the UK evacuation team employed during Operation Pitting through WorldWide Language Resources in Afghanistan.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Afghan interpreters employed through WorldWide Language Resources as part of the UK evacuation team during Operation Pitting have been relocated to the UK as of 29 March 2022.

James Heappey: During Op PITTING, the Ministry of Defence contracted 16 interpreters, all of whom were employed by WorldWide Language Resources.All interpreters used during Op PITTING were UK nationals. Once Op PITTING had been completed all interpreters returned home to the UK. No Afghan nationals were employed as interpreters as a part of the UK evacuation team during Op PITTING.

Department for Work and Pensions

Cost of Living

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what inter-ministerial group exists to discuss (a) poverty and (b) matters relating to the cost of living; when that group last met; and which departments are represented in its membership.

David Rutley: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Pesticides: Safety

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will review whether Brodifacoum is safe and appropriate to be using in the open countryside.

Chloe Smith: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Jobcentres

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she provide details of each Jobcentre Plus in the UK, broken down by (a) permanent and (b) temporary job centres.

Mims Davies: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Universal Credit: Self-employed

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2022 to Question 138303, whether there is statistical evidence available to show (a) how the minimum income floor has enabled claimants to increase their self-employed through developing their self-employment and (b) that the minimum income floor prevents claimants from under-declaring self-employed earnings; and for what the evidential basis is for the minimum income floor to achieve that objective.

Mims Davies: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Sick Pay

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate she has made of the number of workers that are entitled to sick pay at a rate higher than statutory sick pay.

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to encourage employers to pay above the statutory minimum for sick pay.

Chloe Smith: Occupational sick pay schemes are a contractual matter between employer and employee. Many employers pay more and for longer than the statutory minimum through occupational or contractual sick pay arrangements and we continue to encourage employers to do so. There is information on type of sick pay paid normally from surveys of employers and employees. The most recent of these are a survey of employers conducted in 2018 (last published in 2021) and a survey of employees conducted in 2014 (published in 2015). Links to both of these surveys can be found below. Sickness absence and health in the workplace: understanding employer behaviour and practice - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Health and wellbeing at work: a survey of employees, 2014 (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Jobseeker's Allowance and Universal Credit: Self-employed

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 16 March 2022 to Question 138302, if her Department will carry out a detailed impact assessment analysing the potential effect of the Universal Credit and Jobseeker’s Allowance (Work Search and Work Availability Requirements - limitations) (Amendment) Regulations 2022 on the self-employed, including those with variable and unpredictable income such as performing arts practitioners.

Mims Davies: Further to our answer to Question 138302, these Regulations have been introduced as part of the Way to Work campaign, and reflect the evidence that the longer a person is out of work, the harder it is for them to secure a job. Way to Work also means that we are giving new claimants more time with their Work Coach and bringing employers into our jobcentres in order to quickly move claimants into work. Gainfully self-employed claimants are exempt from work search and availability requirements to allow them to focus on their business. We do not hold data that allows us to identify those with marginal employment or within specific sectors that have been granted a permitted period. As is routine, we will be assessing the impact of the changes on Universal Credit claimants more generally. We are enhancing our programme of support for workers on Universal Credit starting from April 2022. More people who are in work and on low incomes will be able to access Work Coach support to help them to increase their earnings and move into better paid quality jobs. Work coach support will focus on removing barriers to progression and offering career progression advice, such as considering skills gaps, identifying training opportunities, or looking for progression opportunities for the claimant in their current role or supporting them into a new role. Jobcentres will be supported in this new role by a network of 37 Progression Champions across Great Britain who will spearhead the scheme. Progression Champions will work with key partners, including local government, employers, and skills providers to identify and develop local progression opportunities. They will also work with partners to address local barriers that limit progression such as childcare and transport.

Universal Credit: Scotland

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason her Department has not granted the Scottish Government access to anonymised data on universal credit claims and sanctions histories for Scottish universal credit claimants; and when her Department plans to grant the Scottish Government access to that data.

Mims Davies: The DWP has not received a request for this data by the Scottish Government. The Department considers each application for data sharing on its merits.

Carer's Allowance

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional Carer’s Allowance Supplement payments to all carers in receipt of Carer's Allowance.

Chloe Smith: I refer the Hon member to the answer I gave on 23 March to question number 140422. https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2022-03-15/140422

Carers: Cost of Living

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of support for unpaid carers with the rising cost of living.

Chloe Smith: The primary purpose of Carer’s Allowance is to provide a measure of financial support and recognition for people who give up the opportunity of full-time employment in order to provide regular and substantial care for a severely disabled person. The level of Carer’s Allowance is protected by uprating it each year in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The rate will increase from 11 April, which means that since 2010, the rate of Carer’s Allowance will have increased from £53.90 to £69.70 a week, providing an additional £800 a year for carers through Carer’s Allowance. In addition to Carer’s Allowance, carers on low incomes can claim income-related benefits, such as Universal Credit and Pension Credit. These benefits can be paid to carers at a higher rate than those without caring responsibilities through the carer element and the additional amount for carers respectively. The Universal Credit carer element will increase in April to £168.81 per monthly assessment period, and the additional amount for carers in Pension Credit will increase to £38.85 per week. This means carers can receive an additional £2,000 a year. We recognise that many people, including carers, are facing pressures with the cost of living – which is why we’re providing support with the cost of living worth £22 billion across this financial year and next.

Social Security Benefits: Uprating

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will take steps to increase Carer’s Allowance and other benefits in line with inflation predictions when benefit ratings take effect on 11 April 2022.

Chloe Smith: The Secretary of State undertakes an annual review of benefits and pensions, and the Consumer Prices Increase (CPI) in the year to September (published by the Office for National Statistics in October) is the latest figure that the Secretary of State can use to allow sufficient time for the required legislative and operational changes before new rates can be introduced at the start of the new financial year. We recognise people are facing pressures with the cost of living – which is why we are providing support with the cost of living worth £22 billion across this financial year and next. In his Spring Statement the Chancellor announced the doubling the Support Fund to help households with the cost of living to £1billion by providing an extra £500 million from April 2022, on top of the £500 million already provided since October 2021. In England, The Household Support Fund will help households with the cost of essentials such as food, clothing and utilities and will continue to be distributed to Local Authorities, who are best placed to direct help to those who need it most. The Devolved Administrations will receive £79 million of this additional funding.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect of changes in the level of the cost of processing mandatory reconsiderations of claimants on the number of requests being processed.

Chloe Smith: The number of forecasted MRs processed each month is based on the number of forecasted MRs received each month. The forecast methodology of the numbers of MRs received each month varies from benefit to benefit. Broadly, analysts use factors such as claim rate, caseload, historical MR rates, and decision outcomes e.g. disallowed cases. Analysts review these factors at each forecasting round to improve the quality of forecasts.

Occupational Health

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the value of the contribution of occupational health in delivering public health support to employees.

Chloe Smith: Expert led work and health services such as Occupational Health, provided by employers for their employees, can play an important role in supporting employees to thrive at work and live healthier more independent lives. In order to ensure that occupational health is a trusted partner, and a key part of a preventive, organisation-wide approach to health and wellbeing, a national programme of support for occupational health, Growing OH, has been launched. The NHS are working with key partners in the Occupational Health community to understand and help shape the future of OH provision going forward. The Health is everyone’s business consultation, published in July 2021, set out proposals to increase access to quality occupational health services particularly focussed at SMEs and the self -employed.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of mandatory reconsiderations made in favour of claimants were made on the basis of no additional evidence supplied by the claimant, beyond the completion of a mandatory reconsideration request form for claimants (a) nationally and (b) in Poplar and Limehouse constituency.

Chloe Smith: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Carer's Allowance: Earnings Rules

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of raising the earnings limit for those claiming Carer’s Allowance to at least 16 hours work per week at the National Living Wage.

Chloe Smith: I refer the Hon member to the answer I gave on 10 February 2022 to question number 120937.https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2022-02-08/120937

Personal Independence Payment

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of personal independence payment claims are auto-extended on more than one occasion due to a backlog of claims being processed by assessment providers, such that an assessment cannot be undertaken within the first period of auto-extension.

Chloe Smith: To protect PIP customers, we have developed an automated Digital solution which essentially extends the current award for cases where there is a risk that the claim will fall out of payment. As we see continuing high demand for PIP new claims, customers are currently waiting longer than expected to have their claim reviewed, which has led to some awards being extended more than once. The information requested on multiple extensions, however, is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Personal Independence Payment: Poplar and Limehouse

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of mandatory reconsideration requests for personal independence payments were found in favour of claimants, for those claimants resident in Poplar and Limehouse constituency in (a) 2019, (b) 2020 and (c) 2021.

Chloe Smith: The proportions of mandatory reconsiderations requests for PIP found to be in favour of claimants in the Poplar and Limehouse constituency is available on Stat-Xplore: : https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/. In particular, you may be interested in the ‘PIP MR Clearances’ table, which, under ‘Westminster Parliamentary Constituency’ you can select Poplar and Limehouse and ‘MR Decision’ will give you the breakdown of the MR decisions. Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html.

Long Covid

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of recognising long covid as (a) an occupational disease and (b) a disability under the Equality Act 2010.

Chloe Smith: The Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC), who advise the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions regarding Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB), are investigating whether long-COVID can be prescribed as an occupational disease for the purposes of IIDB. The Equality Act 2010 ensures that any person with a condition, including progressive and life-threatening conditions that meet the definition of a disability (i.e. a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day-today activities”) is protected. The Act defines “long-term” as having lasted, or likely to last for at least 12 months, or likely to last for the rest of the life of the person. “Substantial” is defined as more than minor or trivial. For the purposes of the Act, an impairment is the effect of any physical or mental condition that results in loss of function or in abnormality. The Act makes clear that it is not necessary for the cause of the impairment to be established, nor does the impairment have to be the result of an illness. A disability can therefore arise from a wide range of impairments. This means that any person that falls within this definition will already be protected as having a disability. Therefore, the existing definition of disability in the Act is capable of encompassing some of the emerging effects of long Covid but every case will be different and should be considered on its merits. As a general approach the government avoids listing specific conditions as disabilities in the Act because the Act’s approach ensures that qualifying cases are already covered. Long Covid is still a new condition which means that it is too early to understand it fully. The government will of course be keeping the issue under review, in the light of medical and other developments.

Maternity Pay

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answers of 23 February 2022 to Question 125365 and 8 March 2022 to Question 134067 on Maternity Allowance, and with reference to the data on Statutory Maternity Pay starts provided by HM Revenue & Customs in Freedom of Information Act responses dated 5 June 2019 (FOI2019/01113) and 24 September 2021 (FOI2021/20932), what assessment she has made of the reasons for the absence of any decline in the number of Statutory Maternity Pay starts over the period in which the number of grants of Maternity Allowance to employed women has fallen by 45 per cent.

Guy Opperman: Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) is delivered through HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), rather than the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). DWP does not hold the raw data on Statutory Maternity Payment starts. The estimated number of women on the caseload for SMP and Maternity Allowance (MA) is published on www.gov.uk - Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2021. The caseload has decreased for both MA and SMP in the period from 2016/17 to 2020/21. The reason for the larger decrease in MA than SMP, has not been fully assessed. We continue to monitor changes to the number of MA claims, and changes to SMP figures, and are actively looking into them.

Members: Correspondence

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she intends to respond to a letter from the hon. Member for West Lancashire dated 28 January 2022, reference ZA58773 in relation to a state pension claim.

Guy Opperman: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 7 April 2022.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Government efficiency savings: technical note, 2021, published on 28 March 2022, what the variety of counter fraud techniques used to prevent or detect fraud were including (a) the programme and project the savings apply to, (b) the amount of savings that relate to each programme and project and (c) the period during which the savings were made for each programme and project.

David Rutley: DWP takes all types of benefit fraud extremely seriously and is committed to the detection and prevention of both fraud and claimant error, along with the use of appropriate penalties where fraud is identified. I am unable to share details of the variety of counter fraud techniques used by DWP to prevent or detect fraud, as to do so would be prejudicial to our work in this area. The DWP savings cited in the technical note published by Cabinet Office on 28 March 2022, cover the 2020/21 financial year. The savings of £1.1bn relate to the work of DWP’s Enhanced Checking Service (ECS) part of our Counter Fraud, Compliance and Debt Directorate.

Welfare Assistance Schemes: Manchester Gorton

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of local welfare assistance schemes in Manchester Gorton constituency.

David Rutley: No assessment has been made. Local Authorities have the power to establish local welfare provision in their area, using the funding they receive from the Local Government Finance Settlement. Local Authorities are responsible for determining how best to assess provision of any local welfare support. We recognise, however, that some people require extra support with meeting essential household costs due to cost of living pressures, which is why the government is providing an additional £500 million to help households with the cost of essentials, on top of what we have already provided since October 2021, bringing the total funding for this support to £1 billion. Local Authorities are responsible for designing and delivering the Household Support Fund in their area to best meet the needs of local people, in accordance with the overall scheme parameters.

Welfare Assistance Schemes: Glasgow South West

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of local welfare assistance schemes in Glasgow South West constituency.

David Rutley: No assessment has been made. Local Welfare is a devolved matter and it is for the Scottish Government to assess the adequacy of their local welfare assistance scheme. The Government has recently announced an extension to the funding provided to help vulnerable households with cost of living pressures - providing an additional £500 million from April 2022 to help households with the cost of essentials bringing the total funding for this support to £1 billion (between October 2021 and September 2022). In England, £421 million will be provided to extend the existing Household Support Fund from 1 April to 30 September inclusive. The devolved administrations will again receive £79 million through the Barnett formula (£41 million for the Scottish Government, £25 million for the Welsh Government and £14 million for the NI Executive).

Social Security Benefits: Veterans

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that benefit assessments for veterans focus on the increased costs of living for disabled people in addition to an individual's ability to secure and maintain employment.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that departmental staff assessing applications for veteran benefits are aware of the consequences of both mental and physical injury and illness.

David Rutley: DWP itself does not provide any exclusively "veterans benefits". Instead disabled veterans have access to the usual range of extra cost disability benefits (such as Personal Independence Payment) and means tested benefits (such as Universal Credit). These benefits are designed to help with the costs of living and the additional costs that disabled people might face because of their disability. DWP staff receive training to help them understand the circumstances of veterans and the challenges they may face, including with their physical or mental health, with our Armed Forces Champions having a particular responsibility to build capability and awareness within DWP. More generally DWP has put in place a number of specific provisions to support veterans, ranging from voluntary early entry to the Work and Health Programme to using Service Medical Board evidence to help assess claims where we can.

Department for Work and Pensions: Newcastle upon Tyne

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information she holds on the proportion of the Benton Park View site in Newcastle upon Tyne that is used by her Department.

Guy Opperman: DWP currently occupy an area of 6058sqm over 7 buildings and floors in Benton Park View, and an additional 5758 sqm on a temporary occupation until 31st March 2022 required as part of the departments covid response. As of 1st April 2022, the main occupation will revert to 6058sqm. These occupations are under the intergovernmental arrangements for sharing Crown Estates, known as a Memorandum of Terms Occupation (MOTO) and that document is held by DWP’s Estates function. The MOTO is reflective of the guidance contained in the Civil Estates Occupancy Guide (CEOA) where two Crown Bodies share space and details the terms and obligations between those two Crown Bodies. At this site, HMRC are DWP’s landlord and the terms and obligations for the head lease agreement and all other space outside of DWP’s demised space, remain with HMRC to meet the obligations of their lease requirements.

Members: Correspondence

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she intends to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for West Lancashire dated 25 January 2022, reference ZA58736 in relation to overpaid carers allowance.

Guy Opperman: A reply was sent to the hon. Member by the Area Director for Universal Credit, on behalf of the Secretary of State, on 29 March 2022.

Social Security Benefits: Inflation

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her Department has made of the impact inflation will have on the benefit cap.

David Rutley: No assessment has been made of the impact of inflation on the level of the benefit cap. Households receiving disability benefits and/or entitled to carer benefits are exempt to ensure the most vulnerable are supported. The government is continuing to provide targeted cost of living support for households most in need. From April, the government is providing an additional £500 million to help vulnerable households with the cost of essentials, on top of what we have already provided since October 2021, bringing the total funding for this support to £1 billion.

Debts and Poverty

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of people in (a) poverty and (b) debt; and what steps she is taking to reduce this figure.

David Rutley: National Statistics on the number of people in low income are published annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication. Latest statistics, covering up until 2020/21, on the number of people in low income in the UK can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/households-below-average-income-for-financial-years-ending-1995-to-2021 In the UK in 2020/21, there were 8.8 million people living in absolute poverty, before housing costs, down from 9.9 million in 2009/10. The Government regularly monitors personal debt levels by working closely with the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and engages regularly with a range of stakeholders in the debt advice sector on their research and findings. The FCA conducts a biennial Financial Lives Survey which provides a comprehensive insight into the finances of the UK population. The latest findings from the survey were published in February 2021, which also analysed the impact of the pandemic on people’s finances. MaPS monitors financial difficulty through their research, in particular the Debt Need Survey. MaPS published high level findings from their 2021 Debt Need Survey on 23 February 2022. To help people in problem debt, the Government provided record levels of debt advice funding to the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) for free-to-client debt advice provision in England in 2020/21 and in this financial year. Similar levels of debt advice funding will be maintained as we move into the next financial year (2022/23). In addition to this, the Breathing Space scheme launched in England and Wales last year, offering people in problem debt a pause of up to 60 days on most enforcement action, interest, fees and charges, and encouraging them to seek professional debt advice. The Government continues to develop the Statutory Debt Repayment Plan (SDRP), a statutory agreement that will enable a person in problem debt to combine their debts into a single repayment that they make over a manageable time period, while receiving legal protections from creditor action for the duration of their plan. This Government is committed to reducing poverty and supporting low-income families. We will spend around £240bn through the welfare system in 2021/22 including £110bn on people of working age, including around £59 billion on dedicated support for disabled people and people with health conditions in Great Britain. More than £129 billion is spent supporting pensioners. We are giving the lowest earners a pay rise by increasing the National Living Wage by 6.6% to £9.50 from April 2022 and making permanent changes to Universal Credit worth £1000 a year on average to two million in-work claimants. With around 1.3 million vacancies across the UK our focus is firmly on supporting people into and to progress in work as the best way to substantially reduce the risks of poverty. Our multi-billion-pound Plan for Jobs, which has been expanded by £500 million, and the new 'Way to Work’ campaign is a national drive to get half a million people who are out of work into jobs in the next four months. As announced in the Spring Statement, the government is continuing to provide targeted cost of living support for vulnerable households most in need. From April, the government is providing an additional £500 million to help households with the cost of household essentials, on top of what we have already provided since October 2021, bringing the total funding for this support to £1 billion. In England, £421 million will be provided to extend the existing Household Support Fund, whilst the devolved administrations will receive £79 million through the Barnett formula.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Metals: Port of Tyne

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what scientific evidence there is on the impact of zinc and lead sediment in the form found in the River Tyne on marine life.

Rebecca Pow: Zinc and lead are known to induce adverse effects on marine life. River Tyne sediments exhibit higher levels of these metals compared with other parts of the UK, due to the historical industrial and mining activities associated with the river. There is currently insufficient evidence as to whether concentrations of zinc and lead in the form found in River Tyne sediments are having an impact on marine life. However, in recognition of wider evidence of the impacts of mining pollution more generally, we are currently consulting on a target to reduce the length of rivers pollution by metals from abandoned metal mines by 50% by 2037 in the Environment Act Targets consultation. This will include lead and zinc metal pollution. This will drive action across the country and builds on work by the Environment Agency, in partnership with the Coal Authority and Defra, to implement measures to control inputs of metals in the Tyne headwaters as part of the Water and Abandoned Metal Mines Programme.

Outdoor Recreation

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Agnew Review - Access to the Outdoors Commission, which was commissioned in January 2021, will be released.

Rebecca Pow: The Access to the Outdoors Commission was a cross-Government process designed to inform the Spending Review on how to increase access to green spaces. There are no plans to release the review in a consolidated way. Rather the results of the review are now incorporated in the Spending Review which is providing more than £30 million to improve public access to green spaces in support of health, wellbeing, and the environment. The Government also announced it is investing £9m to level up urban green spaces across the UK through the Levelling Up Parks Fund. Grants will be given to, and administered by, local authorities, to deliver new green spaces in over 100 of the neighbourhoods most deprived of green space. Defra continues to work collaboratively with other Government departments to seek opportunities to continue to improve access to the outdoors and engagement with nature.

Animal Products: Imports

Sir Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many permits his Department has issued for the import of hunting trophies from Russia in each of the last three years.

Rebecca Pow: The UK recorded 2 imports of brown bear hunting trophies from Russia under CITES in 2020, 12 in 2019 and 0 in 2018. 2020 is the latest full year for which data is available. Data for 2021 is currently being finalised and will be made available through the CITES trade database at https://trade.cites.org/.

Wood-burning Stoves

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the October 2021 Which? survey on wood-burning stoves.

Jo Churchill: We have not made an assessment of the October 2021 Which? survey on wood burning stoves.

Genetically Modified Organisms: Regulation

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will make it its policy to introduce any further changes to the regulation of genetically modified organisms by way of primary legislation.

Jo Churchill: We are taking an evidence-based, stepwise approach to introducing changes in how we govern the use of organisms developed by genetic technologies. Our next step is to seek to bring forward primary legislation to change the regulatory definitions of a GMO to exclude organisms that have genetic changes that could have been achieved through traditional breeding or which could occur naturally. We will also consider the appropriate regulatory measures needed to enable organisms that are equivalent to those produced through traditional breeding to be brought to market.

Members: Correspondence

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he intends to respond to the letter from the hon. member for West Lancashire dated 1 February 2022, reference ZA58805 in relation to genetically modified organisms.

Jo Churchill: I replied to the hon. Member on 1 April 2022. I apologise for the delay in responding to the hon. Member.

Genetically Modified Organisms: Research

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he will take to prioritise bona fide research over other non-commercial releases of genetically modified organisms, exempted under 9A of the Genetically Modified Organisms (Deliberate Release) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2022.

Jo Churchill: All non-commercial releases of GM plants that could have occurred naturally or been produced through traditional breeding will have to be notified to the Secretary of State before they can be planted/sown. There will be no prioritisation for particular types of non-commercial releases.

Dredging: Port of Tyne

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies of the Port of Tyne’s response to Proposed Changes in CEFAS Action Levels for Sea Disposal of Dredged Sediment.

Rebecca Pow: Defra officials are currently considering the feedback and information provided from the Port of Tyne and other stakeholders in response to the Proposed Changes in Cefas Action Levels for Sea Disposal of Dredged Sediment. Officials will continue to engage with the Port of Tyne and other local stakeholders to review and understand all evidence, to ensure we fully understand the impacts of the proposals for the region.

Dredging: Waste Disposal

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department’s plans are for the disposal of dredge, including zinc and lead, in landfill.

Jo Churchill: Dredging waste must be sent to permitted landfill, unless it is exempt from the need for a permit. The permits for these sites control the site design, waste types and quantity to prevent or minimise pollution. These permits do not include specific limits for lead and zinc where the dredged material is non-hazardous waste. The Environment Agency considers the risk of lead and zinc emissions from landfill sites during the permit application process and landfill sites are designed and regulated to prevent or minimise pollution. At dredging sites exempt from the need for a permit, any pollution risk is limited by the scale of the activity and it is assumed that any pollutants will return to the waterway they were dredged from (with no additional pollutant load on the watercourse).

Home Office

Visas: Afghanistan and Syria

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the visa application regime for Ukrainian refugees to refugees from (a) Syria and (b) Afghanistan.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refugees matched through the Homes for Ukraine scheme are now in the UK.

Kevin Foster: Information on the number of Ukrainian arrivals in the UK via the Homes for Ukraine Scheme can be found here:Ukraine Family Scheme and Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (Homes for Ukraine) visa data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Humanitarian Aid: Refugees

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she is taking steps to broaden the Afghan Resettlement Programme to allow more refugees from conflict zones to reach sanctuary in the UK.

Kevin Foster: The UK has a long history of supporting refugees in need of protection. Since 2015, we have resettled more than 27,000 refugees through safe and legal routes direct from regions of conflict and instability, around half of whom were children.In responding to the crisis in Afghanistan, the Government launched both the Afghan Relocations & Assistance Policy (ARAP), through which Afghans employed by the UK locally in Afghanistan can relocate here, and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), which will resettle up to 20,000 people at-risk.The UK also continues to welcome vulnerable people through the global UK Resettlement Scheme, Mandate Resettlement Scheme and the Community Sponsorship Scheme.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 29 March 2022 to Question 146579 on Refugees: Afghanistan, when she intends to set out her approach to evaluating the ACRS and ARAP schemes.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 29 March 2022 to Question 146579 on Refugees: Afghanistan, how she will evaluate the (a) English language levels, (b) health, (c) legal status, (d) employment outcomes, (e) social bridges and bonds and (f) resettlement locations of those using the ACRS and ARAP schemes.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 29 March 2022 to Question 146579 on Refugees: Afghanistan, what steps she plans to take to evaluate the (a) number of arrivals over time, (b) public discourse and responses and (c) patterns of secondary migration related to the ACRS and ARAP schemes.

Kevin Foster: We expect to publish the approach to evaluating ongoing refugee resettlement, including ACRS and ARAP, later this year.

Disability: Employment

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason individual disabled employers are unable to apply for a sponsorship licence which would enable them to employ personal assistants from outside the UK.

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason there is not a non-sponsored visa route for personal assistants to disabled individuals in the UK.

Kevin Foster: The sponsorship system is designed to ensure employers fulfil specific duties to confirm those who apply for permission to enter or stay in the UK to work are eligible and will comply with the conditions of their visa. Businesses can comply with these duties and demonstrate a verifiable track record of operating lawfully in the UK, both within the immigration system and the wider employer regulatory regime, in a way private individuals and households cannot. This approach ensures the integrity of the immigration system and provides important safeguards for those who migrate to the UK. Organisations who provide care services to private individuals, however, can sponsor workers from overseas provided the organisation has full responsibility for the worker’s duties. Following a recommendation by the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) in their recent annual report, the Government has made care worker, care assistant and home care worker roles (Standard Occupation Classification code 6145) temporarily eligible for the Health and Social Care Visa and added them to the Shortage Occupation List for an initial 12 month period. The Government looks forward to receiving the final MAC report into adult social care at the end of April. Outside the Skilled Worker route, employers and individuals can recruit people with general work rights, including the millions of people who have been granted status under the EU Settlement Scheme, Commonwealth citizens with UK Ancestry visas, visa holders under our route for British National (Overseas) ordinarily resident in Hong Kong, dependants of those here on our economic routes and those in the UK under our Youth Mobility Schemes. They have full access to the UK labour market and are free to work in the UK in any sector.

Visas: Ukraine

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help people holding refugee status in Ukraine to access the (a) Ukraine Family Scheme and (b) Homes for Ukraine Scheme.

Kevin Foster: The Ukraine Family Scheme allows immediate and extended family members to join their relatives in the UK. The UK-based sponsoring relative must be a British citizen, a person who is present and settled in the UK, a person in the UK with refugee leave or with humanitarian protection, or an EEA or Swiss national in the UK with limited leave under Appendix EU.The Homes for Ukraine Scheme is open to Ukrainian nationals who were residents in Ukraine prior to 1 January 2022. It is also open to their immediate family members and family members of such Ukrainian nationals, including a spouse, a civil partner, an unmarried partner, children under-18, parent if you are under-18, fiancé(e) or a proposed civil partner. These individuals may be of other nationalities.Under either Scheme, individuals holding refugee status can apply and come to the UK providing they meet the wider overall eligibility requirements.

Immigration: Detention Centres

Kate Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2022 to Question 137441, how many people were detained between 13 January and 9 March 2022 at (a) Brook House, (b) Tinsley House, (c) Yarl's Wood, (d) Dungavel, (e) Harmondsworth, (f) Colnbrook and (g) Derwentside immigration removal centres.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office publishes statistics on people entering and in detention in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. The number of people entering detention in each quarter can be broken down by place of initial detention in table Det_D01 of the ‘Detention detailed tables’. The number of people in detention at the end of each quarter can be broken down by current place of detention in table Det_D02 of the ‘Detention detailed tables’. The latest data goes up to the end of December 2021. Data for January to March 2022 will be published on the 26 May 2022.Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook.

Development Aid: Ukraine

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any of Department’s spending in response to the Ukraine crisis will be accounted for as Official Development Assistance.

Kevin Foster: The UK has now pledged around £400m of ODA grant aid (counted as part of the 0.5% Gross National Income) for economic and humanitarian support in response to the crisis, to help ensure the continued running of vital services for Ukrainians and contribute to the international humanitarian response.The Home Office have launched the Ukraine Family Scheme which allows applicants to join family members or extend their stay in the UK. The Home Office is working closely with departments across government on the design and funding of these new routes, this includes ODA eligibility.

Visas: Ukraine

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what is the average wait time for a visa application centre appointment for Ukrainian applicants in the visa application centres in (a) Warsaw, (b) Rzeszów, (c) Paris, (d) Brussels, (e) Budapest, (f) Chisinau, and (g) Bucharest.

Kevin Foster: Applications from Ukraine nationals are being prioritised by UKVI. Information on the number of visas granted under the Ukraine Family Scheme can be found in our published data on the GOV.UK webpage: Ukraine Family Scheme: application data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).To capture numbers beyond this data would require a manual trawl and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.

Visas: Ukraine

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many outstanding applications there are from Ukrainian nationals for visas to enter the UK which were submitted before the Ukraine Family Scheme opened.

Kevin Foster: Statistical information regarding the number of Ukrainian nationals applying for UK visas prior to the launch of the UFS is regularly released by UKVI.The latest published statistics can be found here: Immigration statistics, year ending December 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Offences against Children: Internet

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to Answer 30 March 2022 of to Questions 147057 and 147056, of the 14,260 online CSA cases disseminated to police forces in England how many went to each police force between March 2020 and February 2021; and of the 17,022 online CSA cases disseminated to police forces in England how many went to each police force between March 2021 and February 2022.

Rachel Maclean: Further to the Answer of 30 March 2022 to Questions 147057 and 147056, the number of online child sexual abuse cases disseminated by the National Crime Agency to each Police Force in England is provided in the table below:Police Force Disseminated ToMarch 2020- February 2021March 2021 - February 2022Avon & Somerset Constabulary431514Bedfordshire Police134186Cambridgeshire Constabulary198289Cheshire Constabulary198321City of London Police22Cleveland Police154189Cumbria Constabulary96131Derbyshire Constabulary210247Devon & Cornwall Constabulary387504Dorset Police132172Durham Constabulary124156Essex Police379446Gloucestershire Constabulary105160Greater Manchester Police8841,050Hampshire Constabulary481520Hertfordshire Constabulary242294Humberside Police271300Kent County Constabulary477509Lancashire Constabulary334478Leicestershire Constabulary267347Lincolnshire Police156233Merseyside Police425503Metropolitan Police2,8923,002Norfolk Constabulary202229North Yorkshire Police151163Northamptonshire Police221213Northumbria Police378493Nottinghamshire Police318358South Yorkshire Police431536Staffordshire Police260326Suffolk Constabulary167213Surrey Police211236Sussex Police362493Thames Valley Police537735Warwickshire Police106131West Mercia Constabulary243267West Midlands Police8901,192West Yorkshire Police615691Wiltshire Constabulary171159Two or more forces1834Grand Total14,26017,022

Spiking: Alcoholic Drinks

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) estimate she has made of the number of drink spiking-related offences in the last 12 months and (b) steps the Government is taking to tackle that offence.

Tom Pursglove: The recent reports of spiking of drinks are of course concerning. It is not possible with the data that the Home Office holds to provide a full picture on the scale of such attacks or to make accurate estimates into whether or not there has been an increase.This is an ongoing matter which the police are investigating and the Home Secretary has asked police forces to provide an update.Action which the Government is already taking on spiking includes:Through the Safety of Women at Night Fund, and round 3 of the Safer Streets Fund, the Home Office is supporting the rollout of pilot initiatives to improve the safety of women in public spaces, including in the night-time economy (NTE). These projects, totalling more than £27 million, include: Training packages for NTE staff;Drink spiking test kits in Police vehicles and NTE venues;Upgrades to CCTV and street lighting throughout the country;Educational training programmes for men and boys.Reclassifying GHB and related substances from Class C to Class B under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. These are so-called “date rape” drugs, which have been used in drug-facilitated crime (though there is little evidence to link these drugs to needle-spiking specifically).Working with the police to better understand the nature of spiking through the crime recording framework.

Visas: Ukraine

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average number of days is between a refugee from Ukraine attending visa application centre appointment and being granted a visa.

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) adult applicants and (b) child applicants there are in total for the (i) Ukraine Family scheme and the (ii) Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of adult applicants to the (a) Ukraine Family Scheme and (b) Homes for Ukraine scheme are part of family groups which include children under 18.

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of adult applicants to the (a) Ukraine Family Scheme and (b) Homes for Ukraine scheme are parents travelling with children.

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of child applicants to the (a) Ukraine Family Scheme and (b) Homes for Ukraine scheme are (i) applying online or (ii) attending visa application centres.

Kevin Foster: Applications from Ukrainian nationals for both the Ukraine Family Scheme and Homes for Ukraine Scheme are being prioritised by UKVI.Information on the number of visas granted under the Ukraine Family Scheme and the Homes for Ukraine Scheme can be found in our published data on the GOV.UK webpage: Ukraine Family Scheme: application data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).Information requested which is not contained within this published data is not routinely captured. To capture numbers would require a manual trawl of data and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.

Firearms: Licensing

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the membership of the firearms licensing fees working group.

Kit Malthouse: The Government is committed to ensuring an efficient and effective firearms licensing system and to achieving full cost recovery for the police. We have commenced a review of firearms licensing fees for police issued certificates, which will be informed by the work of a Firearms Fees Working Group. The Working Group will carry out a detailed review of the cost to the police of administering firearms licensing and develop proposals for revised fees, in accordance with HM Treasury Guidance.The Firearms Fees Working Group will be chaired by the Home Office, and comprise representatives of the following organisations:National Police Chiefs’ Council;Police Scotland;Association of Police and Crime Commissioners;British Shooting Sports Council;British Association for Shooting and Conservation;Gun Trade Association;National Gamekeepers Organisation;Countryside Alliance;Scottish Association for Country Sports;Scottish Government; andDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.The proposals for new fees for police issued certificates will be subject to public consultation in due course.

Police: Pay

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will introduce an independent mechanism for police pay.

Kit Malthouse: The Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) is an independent body that considers and make recommendations to the Government on the appropriate level of pay and allowances for police officers. The Home Secretary’s remit letter asks the PRRB for recommendations on how to apply the pay award for 2022/23.The PRRB gathers and invites parties to submit evidence to inform its decisions. This includes both written and oral evidence from the Government, police employers and police staff associations. The PRRB weigh the evidence, consider independent research, and formulate detailed recommendations.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of food provision for refugees from Afghanistan who are accommodated in hotels.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of hotel accommodation for refugees from Afghanistan.

Kevin Foster: The UK Government undertook the biggest and fastest emergency evacuation in recent history, helping over 15,000 people to safety from Afghanistan. Due to the scale and pace of the evacuation we have had to use hotels as a bridging measure pending enough offers of suitable long-term accommodation coming forward.Bridging hotels are procured through Crown Commercial and contracting partners. We ensure they are fully compliant with all government and local legislation requirements. Proof of compliance must be produced before a contract can be agreed. Hotels must be a minimum of three stars and be safe and secure, we also provide 24/7 security presence on all sites. They should be within, or near to, major conurbations wherever possible so appropriate support and services can be more readily provided.Residents are provided with three meals each day baby milk and food are also provided and Halal food certificates have been obtained from all hotelsAny issues with food on site are investigated and where necessary adjustments are made. Guests within the hotels are also provided with Universal Credit and are entitled to use this money to buy food outside of the hotel if preferred.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme: Vetting

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many additional staff have been employed to process DBS checks for sponsors under the Homes for Ukraine scheme; and what estimate she has made of the likely processing time for those DBS checks.

Rachel Maclean: The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) have assessed they will be able to deliver checks for the scheme using its current resources. They are operating a seven-day working week within its disclosure operations teams, to provide the capacity needed to process these checks and they will continue to review and flex resources as required. The DBS intends to undertake the checks in line with its published service standards, which state that 80% of Enhanced with Barred List Checks will be completed within 14 calendar days, and 80% of basic checks in 2 days.

Visas: Ukraine

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Ukrainian nationals who have applied for a UK visa have arrived in the UK since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began.

Kevin Foster: Information on the number of Ukrainian arrivals in the UK via the Ukraine Family Scheme and the Homes for Ukraine Scheme can be found here: Ukraine Family Scheme and Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (Homes for Ukraine) visa data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Visas: Ukraine

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate she has made of the average length of time it takes to fill in an online Visa application form for a Ukrainian national wishing to come to the UK; and how many fully completed online Visa application forms have been received as of 29 March 2022.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office does not capture the average length of time it takes to fill in an online visa application for Ukrainian nationals. To capture these numbers would require a manual trawl of data and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.Information on the number of completed visa applications received under the Ukraine Family Scheme can be found in our oublished data on the GOV.UK webpage:  Ukraine Family Scheme: application data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

UK Visas and Immigration: Telephone Services

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make the UKVI Ukraine helpline free for callers.

Kevin Foster: Phone calls made to the advertised (+44) 0808 number are free of charge already. Whilst the majority of callers are able to access the freephone number, a small number of network providers do not allow access to 0808 numbers. For customers unable to dial 0808 numbers there is an alternative number available (+44) 0175 which may come at a network rate charge depending on the phone provider used to make the call. Each country is responsible for access to 0808 via their network providers. Further information can be found on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/call-chargesWhen setting up the phone line our focus was to ensure it was easy to access both from the UK and abroad.

Visas: Ukraine

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the proportion of applicants to the (a) Ukraine Family Scheme and (b) Homes for Ukraine scheme who are completing the whole visa process (i) online and (ii) at visa application centres.

Kevin Foster: Applications from Ukraine nationals are being prioritised by UKVI.Information on the number of visas granted under the Ukraine Family Scheme can be found in our published data on the GOV.UK webpage: Ukraine Family Scheme: application data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).To capture numbers beyond this data would require a manual trawl and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.

Visas: Ukraine

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what is the average time taken to for a visa application to be granted through the (a) Ukraine Family Scheme and (b) Homes for Ukraine scheme that is made (i) fully online and (ii) via a visa application centre.

Kevin Foster: Applications from Ukraine nationals are being prioritised by UKVI.Information on the number of visas granted under the Ukraine Family Scheme can be found in our published data on the GOV.UK webpage: Ukraine Family Scheme: application data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).To capture numbers beyond this data would require a manual trawl and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.

Visas: Ukraine

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many outstanding applications there are from Ukrainian nationals for visas to enter the UK outside of the Ukraine Sponsorship scheme and the Ukraine Family Scheme.

Kevin Foster: Applications from Ukraine nationals are being prioritised by UKVI.Information on the number of visas granted under the Ukraine Family Scheme can be found in our published data on the GOV.UK webpage: Ukraine Family Scheme: application data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).To capture numbers beyond this data would require a manual trawl and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average processing time is for the completion and awarding of a visa under the Homes for Ukraine scheme; and what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of that timeframe.

Kevin Foster: Improvements have been made to ensure visas are being processed quickly, which includes surging staff across government to bolster resource and speed up processing across both schemes.Figures for both schemes are published regularly online and can be found at: Ukraine Family Scheme: application data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)The Home Office does not capture the average length of time between applications being submitted and granted under either the Ukraine Family Scheme or Homes for Ukraine Scheme.To capture this would require a manual trawl of data and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.

Home Office: Written Questions

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to Question 138024 tabled by the hon. Member for Sefton Central on 10 March 2022.

Kevin Foster: Question 138024 was answered on 1 April 2022.

Visas: Russia

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her policy is on (a) extending the visa expiry dates and (b) offering other measures of relief to Russian (i) Tier 5 unpaid charity volunteers, (ii) students at UK universities whose courses are coming to an end and (iii) other citizens stranded in the UK as a result of sanctions imposed following the Russian invasion of Ukraine; and if she will make a statement.

Kevin Foster: Someone subject to immigration control who is legally present in the UK is expected to leave the UK before the expiry of their current permission, or to make an in-time application for permission to stay on a route for which they meet the requirements.

Undocumented Migrants: Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland

Simon Hoare: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been (a) prosecuted and (b) removed for entering the UK illegally via the Ireland and Northern Ireland land border in each of the past five years.

Tom Pursglove: A)2017- 32018 - 52019 - 322020 - 22021 -152022 - 2 B) We do not hold the data to the level of granularity required and therefore it would be cost-prohibitive to supply it. Data on returns activity is published quarterly and the latest figures can be found at How many people are detained or returned? - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Returns information is not published to a level of detail that enables identification of method of entry; and this could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Homes for Ukraine Scheme

Dr Jamie Wallis: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has plans to (a) enable businesses and community organisations, such as charities, to directly sponsor refugees under the Homes for Ukraine scheme and (b) provide financial support to those organisations for doing so.

Eddie Hughes: The initial phase of the Homes for Ukraine scheme is designed for sponsors with a named Ukrainian beneficiary. We are exploring ways in which connections can be built between Sponsors and Ukrainians that do not yet know each other, including working with NGOs.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme: Families

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2022 to Question 141267 on Refugees: Ukraine, whether British nationals who have family members staying with them through the Ukrainian Family Scheme will be able to apply to sponsor such family members through the Homes for Ukraine scheme in order to receive financial support.

Matt Rodda: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if the Government will amend the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme so that people who have already arrived in the UK but meet the other eligibility requirements for that scheme can be granted permission to stay in the UK.

Eddie Hughes: I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 148272 on 31 March 2022.

Refugees: Ukraine

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether local authorities are required to make different financial provision to refugees who arrive on the sponsorship scheme and refugees who arrive on the family visa scheme.

Eddie Hughes: Local authorities have a number of important functions in supporting the Homes for Ukraine scheme. Guidance for local authorities has been published here: www.gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-guidance-for-councils

Homes for Ukraine Scheme

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Local Government Association's report that there have been 144 homeless applications from Ukrainian refugees to date, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that local authorities are aware of all the residents in their area who have registered interest in the sponsorship scheme.

Eddie Hughes: Local authorities have access to information on those who have applied for visas under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Refugees: Ukraine

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what discussions his Department has had with Facebook, about the Facebook groups that are being used to match Ukrainian refugees with UK households about (a) monitoring of these groups and (b) what steps they are taking to ensure that people trafficking gangs are not using these avenues to traffic Ukrainian refugees.

Eddie Hughes: The National Crime Agency works closely with social media companies as part of its Social Media Action Plan, to scope illicit content related to organised immigration crime.

Refugees: Ukraine

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department plans to set up a centrally run, national system for Ukrainian refugees to log any complaints or safeguarding concerns.

Eddie Hughes: Councils must ensure that guests know how to raise a concern about their welfare or wider safeguarding issues, and who to contact at their local council. Guidance and information on safeguarding checks for councils has been published at www.gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-guidance-for-councils.

Refugees: Ukraine

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many of the 2,700 Ukrainians given visas under the sponsorship scheme had arrived in the UK as at 30 March 2022.

Eddie Hughes: This data is published at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/ukraine-family-scheme-application-data.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme: Warwickshire

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many people in (a) Warwickshire and (b) Warwick and Leamington constituency have recorded their interest in becoming a sponsor as part of the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many people from (a) Sheffield Hallam constituency and (b) Sheffield have applied to become a sponsor through the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many people from (a) Sheffield Hallam constituency and (b) Sheffield have been approved as sponsors for the Homes of Ukraine Scheme.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many (a) individuals and (b) organisations in Solihull constituency that have signed up to his Department's Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Eddie Hughes: A breakdown of visas issued for Homes for Ukraine, by local authority has been published here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/homes-for-ukraine-sponsorship-scheme-numbers-of-visa-applications.Data on sponsors by local authority is not yet available.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his department plans to open a help desk on the Parliamentary Estate to manage queries about the Homes For Ukraine scheme.

Eddie Hughes: The Home Office, supported by DLUHC officials, has been running a walk-in hub at Portcullis House to answer queries from MPs and caseworkers.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what the average number of days is between an application being submitted to the Homes for Ukraine scheme and the outcome of that application being reached.

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has plans to publish an estimated turnaround time for applications to the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Eddie Hughes: The Home office are working to ensure as many visas are processed as possible.I refer the Hon Member to the data published at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/ukraine-family-scheme-application-data. Further data will be published in due course.

Refugees: Ukraine

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether the £10,500 that local authorities will be paid per Ukrainian refugee to provide wider support will be paid in respect of all Ukrainians who arrive in the UK regardless of whether they are on one of the Government schemes.

Eddie Hughes: The £10,500 tariff for local authorities is a feature of the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether it is his policy to simplify the application process for the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Eddie Hughes: The Home Office keep the forms under review.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2022 to Question 143627, what communication his Department has had with local authorities on the (a) Homes for Ukraine scheme and (b) implementation of checks on the UK households offering shelter to Ukrainian refugees.

Eddie Hughes: We worked closely with local authorities in the lead up to the launch of the scheme and will continue to do so.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether Ukrainian refugees placed with host families under the Government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme will be able to change host family during the first six months; and whether the payment to the original host family will transfer to the new host family in that event.

Eddie Hughes: Sponsors are committed to hosting guests for a minimum of 6 months. Payments will stop when the sponsorship ends.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when will phase two of the Homes for Ukraine scheme begin.

Eddie Hughes: Details of announcements will be made in the usual way and on Gov.uk.

Regional Planning and Development: Annual Reports

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans to establish a statutory duty to provide annual reports on the progress of the levelling up agenda; and what the timescale is for the publication of the first report.

Neil O'Brien: As set out in the Levelling Up White Paper, the Government will legislate to create a statutory duty to publish an annual report on progress towards meeting the Levelling Up missions when Parliamentary time allows. Further details regarding the annual report will be published in due course.

Levelling Up Advisory Council: Public Appointments

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what the (a) appointments process and (b) timetable for appointments will be for the Levelling Up Advisory Council.

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what remuneration people appointed to the Levelling Up Advisory Council will receive.

Neil O'Brien: Appointments to the Levelling Up Advisory Council (LUAC) are direct appointments by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities with due regard to diversity and the Public Sector Equality Duty. The members of the LUAC have already been appointed for a period of 2 years. The Secretary of State may appoint additional or replacement members during this time or in the future Members of the Levelling Up Advisory Council are unremunerated.

Regional Planning and Development: Public Appointments

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much remuneration the Levelling Up Directors will receive.

Neil O'Brien: For external appointments, remuneration for this role will be up to £144,000 per annum. For existing civil servants, the usual policy on level transfer and promotion will apply and is non-negotiable. If appointed on promotion, individuals would receive the higher of a 10% uplift or the new minimum for Director.

Regional Planning and Development: Public Appointments

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what the (a) appointments process and (b) timetable for appointment will be for Levelling Up Directors.

Neil O'Brien: a) As part of the application process, applicants will be asked to submit a CV and statement of suitability for the roles which demonstrates their suitability against the essential criteria. No appointment will be made if candidates are not suitable for the role as advertised b) Once the advertisement closes, the selection panel will sift applications against the essential criteria to produce a shortlist. Prior to final interview, shortlisted candidates will then undertake a variety of assessments, which will inform the panel's decisions on appointments. Interviews are currently scheduled to take place in May 2022 and appointments will be made shortly thereafter.

Housing: Construction

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of the Secretary of State having powers to direct local authorities in respect of housing development where they deem it necessary in the event that the local authority has failed to develop housing to meet local needs.

Stuart Andrew: Where the supply and delivery of housing is not meeting local need, the presumption in favour of sustainable development applies. This means additional housing allocations and approvals should be granted by a local authority unless planning constraints provide a strong reason against this when assessed against the NPPF as a whole – examples of this include Green Belt or flood risk The government is currently considering changes to the planning system. An announcement will be made in due course.

Flats: Insulation

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of measures announced by his Department on 21 July 2021 on the availability of mortgages to purchase leasehold homes in medium and lower-rise buildings without an EWS1 form; and if he will make a statement.

Stuart Andrew: An EWS1 form is not a statutory or regulatory requirement, nor ​a​ safety ‘test’. Not all lenders ask for an EWS1, but when or whether they do remains a commercial decision. The measures in the January Statement provide a clear framework for proportionate risk assessments whilst encouraging lenders to base their risk management on the presumption that medium- and low-rise buildings are safe, unless there is evidence to the contrary.We will continue to work with lenders to enable them to accept forms of assurance other than EWS1s, such as a comprehensive fire risk assessment. We will also continue to challenge industry on the use of the EWS1 process. The Department publishes quarterly data on the number of EWS1s required on mortgage valuations by the seven largest lenders, including for medium- and low-rise buildings on gov.uk.

Leasehold: House Insurance

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to support leaseholders who have been affected by remedial fire safety works to help cover rising insurance costs for their homes.

Stuart Andrew: I urgently want to relieve the financial pressures facing leaseholders due to unfair and unwarranted insurance premiums.  I have called on the FCA and the CMA to conduct a review of the buildings insurance market to get to the bottom of concerning year-on-year price increases, and the restricted cover on offer to leaseholders. The FCA is currently collecting data on market conditions to inform their review. By better understanding the root and scale of this issue in a thorough review, the Government can seek ways to ensure leaseholders get the value for money they deserve. The review is part of a wider raft of measures to protect innocent leaseholders from the impact of building safety issues.

Buildings: Insulation

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many meetings he has held with developers since his announcement on 10 January 2022 that the Government plans to make developers and companies pay to fix the cladding crisis.

Stuart Andrew: Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on gov.uk.

Leasehold: Mortgages

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what further steps he plans to take to ensure the availability of mortgages on leasehold homes.

Stuart Andrew: Decisions concerning the pricing and availability of loans and deposit requirements are commercial decisions for lenders, made on their own risk appetite, considering factors such as market conditions and the funding they possess. The Government does not seek to intervene in these. We do, however, recognise that having a wide variety of affordable mortgage products on the market is important to a sustainable and healthy demand; and we discuss this with the industry regularly.  Whilst one lender may be unable to offer a mortgage in a particular case, this would not preclude a customer from being offered credit elsewhere. There are a wide variety of mortgage products available in the UK and it can be useful for customers to shop around and speak to a mortgage broker in order to find the best possible product.  We are also taking forward a comprehensive programme of leasehold reform to bring an end to unfair practices, including those which may affect mortgage availability. The Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022 will put an end to ground rents for most new residential leasehold properties as part of the most significant changes to property law in a generation. We also understand the difficulties some existing leaseholders face with high and escalating ground rents. This is why we asked the Competition and Markets Authority to investigate potential mis-selling of homes and unfair terms in the leasehold sector.Furthermore, with relation to our work on building safety, we have withdrawn the consolidated advice note which had been wrongly interpreted by lenders and fire risk assessors and drove an overly risk averse and cautious approach. We have also supported the publication of the British Standards Institutions' new PAS 9980 guidance for assessing risk in external walls. This guidance provides a methodology for a more proportionate and consistent assessment of risk posed by the external wall of a building.We have also confirmed that those at fault, not blameless leaseholders, will be the ones who pay to fix unsafe cladding. This will further remove risk for lenders and help restore common sense to the market.

Flats: Insulation

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make it his policy to provide financial support for buy to let owners of multiple flats facing cladding remediation costs.

Stuart Andrew: Over 35 developers have agreed to take responsibility for all necessary work to address life-critical, fire-safety defects on buildings 11 metres and over that they had a role in developing or refurbishing over the past 30 years. This includes non-cladding.In addition to the commitment made by firms to fix buildings they have played a role in developing in the last 30 years we will establish a new 11-18m cladding remediation scheme through which to fund work on buildings where a responsible developer cannot be identified. The new scheme will be funded by expanding the scope of the Building Safety Levy to raise an additional estimated £3bn, providing the necessary funds to address cladding issues on these remaining buildings.In addition, leaseholders who are buy-to-let landlords are able to benefit from funding from the Building Safety Fund for eligible remediation works on residential buildings 18 metres and above in England, subject to the relevant subsidy control requirements. Eligibility criteria for the Building Safety Fund can be found in the Building Safety Fund Prospectus at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/remediation-of-non-acm-buildings#prospectus---outlining-eligibility-for-the-fund(opens) and specific guidance on subsidy control and declarations can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/remediation-of-non-acm-buildings#subsidy-control-guidance-and-declaration(opens ).The Building Safety Bill introduces further leasehold protections. It eradicates the idea that leaseholders should be the first port of call to pay to fix historical building safety defects. Those responsible, and otherwise those with the broadest shoulders, will be the first who are required to pay. Where there is no party that clearly should pay in full for non-cladding defects, and only in this scenario, our approach spreads the costs and ensures above all that the most vulnerable leaseholders are protected. Importantly, any leaseholder contributions for non-cladding defects and interim measures will be subject to a fixed cap. Going forward, most qualifying leaseholders will pay less than the cap, and many will pay nothing at all.

Leasehold: House Insurance

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to work with the insurance sector to prevent rising costs for leaseholders affected by remedial fire safety works.

Stuart Andrew: The Government is working with the insurance industry to address the challenges experienced by leaseholders facing increasing building insurance costs. On the 28 January, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities called on the Financial Conduct Authority and the Competition and Market Authority to review buildings insurance premiums for people living in medium and high-rise blocks of flats. The FCA has met with Chief Executives of key insurers and insurance brokers to explain their expectations for engagement in the review and affirm their regulatory expectations. The FCA is currently collecting data on market conditions to inform their review In Minister Gove’s statement to parliament on 10th January, he noted Lord Greenhalgh's intention to work with insurers on new industry-led approaches that bring down the premiums facing leaseholders. On 4 January, Lord Greenhalgh wrote to the Association of British Insurers, encouraging them to investigate the possibility of an industry-led risk pool with their members. My officials are actively working with the Association of British Insurers to develop policy solutions, and Lord Greenhalgh met with the Association of British Insurers on 1 March to discuss progress.

Council Tax: Energy Bills Rebate

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what plans he has to take steps to ensure the energy bills rebate is passed onto tenants who pay council tax combined with rent.

Kemi Badenoch: The rebate will be paid to liable council tax payers that live in a property in council tax bands A – D. In most cases, the occupants of a property are liable for the council tax, even if the bill is usually paid by the landlord. Where the owner of a house in multiple occupation is liable for the council tax, no rebate payment will be made, but the tenants can apply for support from their council’s discretionary fund if they are affected by rising energy costs.

COVID-19 Additional Relief Fund

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much of the Covid Additional Relief Fund has been distributed to businesses as of 30 March 2022.

Kemi Badenoch: The information requested is not currently available. The government has awarded local authorities with £1.5 billion for distribution through the COVID-19 Additional Relief Fund. Reporting arrangements have been put in place to monitor progress on implementation and delivery and local authorities will return information on their schemes at regular intervals.

Social Rented Housing

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he plans to take to help ensure that (a) York and (b) other local authorities have sufficient social housing to meet local need by March 2023.

Eddie Hughes: Our new £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme will provide up to 180,000 new homes across the country, should economic conditions allow.Half the homes will be for Affordable and Social Rent, to help those in the greatest need.Since 2010, we have delivered over 574,100 new affordable homes, including over 403,400 affordable homes for rent, of which over 154,600 homes for social rent.Local authorities can respond to social housing need by building homes directly. The Government has given local authorities a comprehensive range of tools to enable them to deliver council housing. This includes the Affordable Homes Programme and the abolition of Housing Revenue Account (HRA) borrowing cap in 2018. Local authorities have also been given more freedom on how they can spend the money they receive from Right to Buy sales on replacement homes.

Cabinet Office

Civil Servants: Conduct

Mr Mark Harper: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if the requirement on civil servants and special advisers, under the Rights and responsibilities listed in the Civil Service code, to report to their line managers actions by others which they believe conflict with the code, also applies to conduct by themselves.

Michael Ellis: The Code sets out that if an individual has a concern they should start by talking to their line manager or someone else in their line management chain.

Counter Disinformation Unit: Staff

Lucy Powell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many officials in his Department are working in the Counter Disinformation Unit.

Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: Addressing the challenges of disinformation and misinformation is a whole of Government effort, and the Cabinet Office works closely with all relevant Departments including the Counter Disinformation Unit (CDU) in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The CDU is a standing unit which draws on a range of expertise from across government, social media platforms and disinformation specialists in academia and civil society to lead the fight against misinformation and disinformation. It would not be appropriate to comment on operational details such as staffing levels publicly as doing so would give malign actors insight into our capabilities. However, staffing requirements are continually reviewed to ensure appropriate levels of resourcing, including surge capacity where needed.

Cost of Living

Ian Byrne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent estimate he has made of the basic annual cost of living for a single person household.

Ian Byrne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent estimate he has made of the basic annual cost of living for a two-person household or family.

Ian Byrne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent estimate he has made of the basic annual cost of living for a family comprised of one adult and one child.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the hon. Member’s Parliamentary Question of 31 March is attached. UKSA response (pdf, 120.3KB)

Chequers: Official Hospitality

Angela Rayner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2022 to Question 140455, for what reason the Government has stopped publishing Guests to Chequers transparency data since March 2015.

Michael Ellis: I can confirm that the Government has not stopped publishing this data. The Government has consistently published transparency data on official hospitality at Chequers since 2010. Since 2015, the Chequers hospitality data is clearly listed within the "ministerial gifts, hospitality, travel and meetings" category of Ministerial returns on gov.uk. I would observe that since 2016, it is the Labour Party which has stopped publishing transparency data on frontbench meetings with senior media executives, breaking a key commitment made during the Leveson Inquiry.

Blood: Contamination

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will confirm that liabilities in respect of the UK Contaminated Blood Scandal will be covered directly and exclusively by the Government.

Michael Ellis: It is important that we wait for the conclusion of the independent Infected Blood Inquiry, chaired by Sir Brian Langstaff. The Government will consider Sir Brian’s findings and recommendations once the Inquiry has reported.

Chequers: Official Hospitality

Angela Rayner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much public money was used during guests visits to Chequers in each of the last three years, by budget heading.

Michael Ellis: Details of official hospitality at Chequers is published on a quarterly basis and is available via the gov.uk website.

Public Inquiries: Barristers

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will confirm the process by which counsel to public inquiries are selected.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the process is for the selection of counsel for the forthcoming public inquiry into the covid-19 pandemic.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much the Government has paid in fees to all counsel to public inquiries in each of the last ten years.

Michael Ellis: Under the Inquiries Rules 2006, the appointment of Counsel to the Inquiry is a matter for an inquiry’s independent chair. Baroness Hallett, the chair of the Covid-19 Inquiry, has appointed Hugo Keith QC as Lead Counsel to the Inquiry. Information as to fees paid to inquiry counsel is not held centrally. Statutory inquiries publish information on their expenditure on their own independent websites.

Independent Adviser On Ministers' Interests

Angela Rayner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Prime Minister's letter of 21 December 2021 to the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Interests, what proposals were presented to the Independent Adviser by officials in January 2022 regarding support for his work.

Angela Rayner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what advice the Prime Minister received from the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Interests on the need for an (a) instruction to Ministers, (b) amendment to the Ministerial Code and (c) other legal instrument to underpin his powers; and whether those have been put into place.

Angela Rayner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the letter from the Prime Minister to the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards on 21 December 2021, what specific proposals did officials in his Department put to the Independent Adviser in January for his consideration.

Angela Rayner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Prime Minister's letter to the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Interests of 21 December 2021, what additional support has been provided from officials in his Department as part of the Independent Adviser's secretariat as of 30 March 2022.

Angela Rayner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what advice the Prime Minister has received from the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Interests on changes to (a) the wider remit of the Independent Adviser and (b) the Ministerial Code; and whether he has taken steps to make those changes.

Angela Rayner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to The Prime Minister’s response to Lord Geidt, 21 December 2021, published by his Department on 6 January 2022, what (a) instruction to Ministers, (b) amendment to the Ministerial Code or (c) other legal instrument has been proposed to help ensure that the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Interests has access to (i) all information he considers necessary and (ii) prompt, full answers to questions.

Michael Ellis: As set out in the Prime Minister’s letter of 21 December 2021, work has been underway to make sure that the Independent Adviser and his office receive the highest standards of support and attention - whether by way of Instruction to Ministers, Ministerial Code or clearer legal instrument. That work continues, and the Government will provide an update in due course. Additional dedicated support for the Independent Adviser’s office has been allocated through the annual Cabinet Office business planning process. This support includes the provision of a dedicated team of civil service staff who will provide day-to-day support under the direction of the Independent Adviser. Further information will be set out in the Independent Adviser’s annual report.

Infected Blood Compensation Framework Study

Anthony Mangnall: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when his Department will be releasing the Infected Blood Compensation Framework Study; and whether that report will be released in full.

Michael Ellis: I refer the Hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement HCWS681 made on 15 March.

Government Departments: Apprentices

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Public Sector Apprenticeships Target, how many apprentices were employed in each participating department in the financial year 2021-22; what proportion of the total workforce in each participating department in 2021-22 were apprentices; what the return to his Department was in respect of the target for each participating department; and for each department, whether the Public Sector Apprenticeships Target was met.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many apprentices were employed in each Government department in the financial year 2021-22; and what proportion of the total workforce were apprentices in each Government department in 2021-2022.

Angela Rayner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the public sector apprenticeships target, how many apprentices were employed in his Department in the financial year 2021-22; and what proportion of the total workforce in his Department in 2021-2022 were apprentices.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Cabinet Office is currently collating and quality assuring data on apprenticeships for 2021/22; final figures are not yet available. Based on indicative figures, Cabinet Office employed 224 apprentices in 2021/22, which is equivalent to 2.34% of the 2021/22 target headcount.As at 1 April 2022, the number of Cabinet Office apprentices actively completing a programme (regardless of which financial year they started) equates to 3.23% of the total workforce.The Cabinet Office, on behalf of the Civil Service, will be publishing a full breakdown of departmental performance on apprenticeships in the Autumn in line with previous years.Data for all departments between 2017 and 2021 is available on gov.uk.

Coronavirus: Contracts

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Government efficiency savings: technical note, 2021, published on 28 March 2022, what the (a) name of the supplier, (b) date the contract was awarded, (c) amount the Government paid to the supplier, (d) description of the contract and (e)) link to the contract on Contracts Finder was for each Department for Health and Social Care covid-19 response contracts that was renegotiated.

Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: The Government efficiency savings technical note sets out the government’s assessment of savings made by cross-cutting government functions in their work with government departments and other central government organisations.The Government Internal Audit Agency was engaged to audit the £3.4 billion of 2020/21 efficiency savings. We do not intend to publish further details about the efficiency savings relating to the Department of Health & Social Care’s Covid response as there may be associated commercial implications.

Civil Servants: Pay

Beth Winter: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Written Statement of 3 February 2021, HCWS756 on Billing Authorities Update, what steps he is taking to measure the impact of the 2 per cent average pay award in the Civil Service Pay Remit guidance 2022 to 2023 on attracting high quality applicants to the Civil Service.

Beth Winter: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Written Statement of 3 February 2021, HCWS756 on Billing Authorities Update, what metrics his Department has used to ensure that the Civil Service Pay Remit guidance 2022 to 2023 rewards hard-working staff fairly.

Beth Winter: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to Statement HCWS756 of 31 March 2022, if he will publish the percentage change in real incomes, at each spine point for (a) his Department and (b) each Government Department, in each year since 2010.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Pay below the Senior Civil Service is delegated to departments. It is for departments to decide on their pay award and how it is structured in light of their own affordability and priorities including considering any recruitment and retention challenges, and to negotiate with their trade unions. The impact on recruitment and retention should be considered by departments when determining their pay award. The pay remit guidance is a cost control document and allows departments to seek further flexibility for a pay award above the headline award, as demonstrated by recent pay deals in Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and the Ministry of Justice.This year’s pay remit guidance is framed by the commitment of this Government to deliver on its extensive agenda that will require reform of the capacity and capability of the Civil Service. It is important that public sector pay awards are affordable, as well as fair to both staff and the taxpayer.The pay remit guidance considers economic conditions while balancing the need for sustainable public finances. The government will continue to prioritise the lowest paid, and has accepted the Low Pay Commission’s recommendations to increase the National Living Wage by 6.6% to £9.50 per hour from April 2022.The Cabinet Office publishes summary figures on salaries across the Civil Service as part of the Civil Service Statistics publications. Median salaries by grade and department since 2010 can be found in Table 25 of this publication:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics.The Cabinet Office does not hold complete data on the delegated pay structures across all Departments, such as ‘spine points’. These have previously been part of the Civil Service pay framework, but are no longer a feature of the pay system for most Civil Service organisations.

Empty Property: Fraud

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Government efficiency savings: technical note, 2021, published on 28 March 2022, which Department the savings of the identification of properties fraudulently declared empty when they were in fact occupied were allocated to.

Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: These savings, £63,602, were generated through the work of the Cabinet Office National Fraud Initiative (NFI) for private sector utilities companies, rather than government departments, as a result of proactive data analytics using government data. The NFI is a data matching exercise which involves 1200 organisations from across the UK. Since 1996, more than £2bn of fraud or error has been detected or prevented through the NFI.In this particular case, information provided to the NFI, primarily for the prevention and detection of public sector fraud, has also been utilised to prevent fraudulent losses for private sector utilities companies. Fraudsters operate across the public and private sector. In order to best minimise government and private sector losses, it is important that we also collaborate across organisations and sectors wherever possible. These savings derive from a strategy to work across the public and private sector to deliver counter fraud benefits for the whole of the UK economy. This is aligned to the Government’s Economic Crime Plan that sets out how both sectors will work together to tackle economic crime.

Travel Cards: Greater London

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Government efficiency savings: technical note, 2021, published on 28 March 2022, which Department the savings of the London Travel Passes were allocated to.

Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: These savings, £340,104, were generated through the Cabinet Office National Fraud Initiative (NFI) for London Councils rather than a Department. The NFI is a data matching exercise which involves 1200 organisations from across the UK. In this case, the NFI worked with London Councils, an organisation that represents and provides services for London’s 32 boroughs and the City of London, to identify where freedom passes or taxi cards were still live, and could be used, despite the holder having passed them on. This resulted in the cancellation of passes and cards with an associated value of £340,104. Although assigned to London Councils, ultimately these savings are realised by London Boroughs and the taxpayer.

Government Departments: Debt Collection

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Government efficiency savings: technical note, 2021, published on 28 March 2022, what debt recoveries were made in the private sector as a result of the Debt Market Integrator including (a) the company the debt was recovered from, (b) the amount recovered for each private company and (c) a summary of how the debt was accrued.

Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: Since its inception in 2015, the Debt Market Integrator has recovered over £2.9bn in debts from over 14 million accounts owed to the public sector. Due to the vast amount of accounts placed with the DMI, we are unable to provide a breakdown of the companies that debt was recovered from or the amount recovered for each private company, or how the debt accrued.The DMI focuses on ethical collection strategies in line with Financial Conduct Authority Treating Customers Fairly Principles, to ensure that debt is recovered in a sustainable manner, taking individual consumer and business circumstances into account.

Treasury

Poverty

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential change in the estimated number of (a) adults and (b) children living in relative poverty after housing costs between 20210-22 and 2022-23.

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential change in the estimated number of (a) adults and (b) children living in absolute poverty after housing costs between 2021-22 and 2022-23.

Mr Simon Clarke: HM Treasury distributional analysis published at Spring Statement 2022 shows that in 2024-25, government decisions since Spending Round 2019 will have benefitted the lowest-income households the most, as a proportion of income. Our modelling also shows that:the poorest 60% of households receive more in public spending than they contribute in tax.Households in the lowest income decile will receive more than £4 in public spending for every £1 they pay in tax, on average.The impact of government policy since Spending Round 2019 on the bottom four deciles is expected to be worth more than £1,000 a year, while there will have been a net benefit on average for the poorest 80% of households.On average, the combined impact of personal tax and welfare decisions made since Spending Round 2019 is progressive, placing the largest burden on higher-income households as a proportion of income. With around 1.3 million vacancies across the UK our focus is firmly on supporting people into and to progress in work as we know that work is the best and most sustainable route out of poverty. The government’s Plan for Jobs, Way to Work campaign and £3.8 billion investment over the parliament in skills by 2024-25 is helping do this. The government is also providing support worth over £22 billion in 2022-23 to help families with the cost of living. This includes providing millions of households with up to £350 to help with rising energy bills, a reduction in the Universal Credit taper rate and freezes to alcohol duty. The Spring Statement went further, with the government announcing an increase to the annual National insurance Primary Threshold and Lower Profits Limit to £12,570, a cut to fuel duty, and an additional £500 million to help with the cost of essentials through the Household Support Fund. In addition, the National Living Wage has increased to £9.50 an hour from April 2022. This means an increase of over £1,000 to the annual earnings of a full-time worker on the NLW.

Social Security Benefits: Uprating

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what analysis his Department undertook in advance of the Spring Statement 2022 of the impact of the policy of uprating by September 2021 consumer price inflation on the inflation-adjusted value of social security benefits.

Mr Simon Clarke: CPI has been the default inflation measure for the government’s statutory annual review of benefits since 2011 and it is standard practice for the government to uprate in line with September CPI, which was 3.1% in 2021. September CPI is the latest available figure confirmed by the ONS prior to the annual review and allows sufficient time for the legislative and complex delivery process to take place. In addition to uprating social security benefits, the government is also providing support to families worth over £22 billion in 2022-23 to help families with cost of living pressures. This includes cutting the Universal Credit taper rate and increasing work allowances to make sure work pays, freezing alcohol duties to keep costs down, and providing millions of households with up to £350 to help with rising energy bills. At the Spring Statement, the Chancellor went further, announcing an increase to the annual National Insurance Primary Threshold and Lower Profits Limit to £12,570, and an additional £500m to help the most vulnerable with the cost of essentials through the Household Support Fund. Families and businesses across the UK will also benefit from a 12-month cut in fuel duty of 5 pence per litre, the largest cash terms cut, that has ever been applied to all fuel duty rates at once. This cut represents savings for consumers worth almost £2.4 billion over the next year. And, from 1st April 2022, the National Living Wage (NLW) increased by 6.6% to £9.50 an hour for workers aged 23, which will benefit more than 2 million workers. This means an increase of over £1,000 to the annual earnings of a full-time worker on the NLW.

Cost of Living: Low Incomes

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will undertake a monthly impact assessment of the implications for low income households of cost of living rises.

Mr Simon Clarke: The Government understands the pressures people, in particular those on low incomes are facing with the cost of living because of high inflation. We are listening to people’s concerns and are providing significant support for the cost of living, worth over £22bn in 22/23. This has included reducing the Universal Credit (UC) taper rate from 63% to 55%, and increased UC work allowances by £500 p.a. to make work pay. In the recent Spring Statement 2022, the Government also announced an increase to the annual National insurance Primary Threshold and Lower Profits Limit to £12,570, and an additional £500m to help those most in need with the cost of essentials through the Household Support Fund.  At each fiscal event HM Treasury has regularly published distributional analysis of the impact of tax, welfare and spending decisions on households. Distributional analysis published at Spring Statement 2022 shows that in 2024-25, the tax, welfare and spending decisions made since Spending Round 2019 will have benefitted the poorest households most (as a percentage of income).

Energy: Housing

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to page 10 of the Spring Statement 2022 policy costings document, published on 23 March 2022, if he will place in the Library the figures for the size of the tax base for VAT on energy saving materials in (a) 2021-22 and (b) each of the years of the forecast horizon consisting of annual expenditure on installations of household renewable energy equipment, insulation, draught stripping and heating controls.

Lucy Frazer: The size of the tax base for the VAT on energy saving materials measure in 2021-22, and the following years in the forecast horizon, is as follows:- 0 in 2021-22- £910 million in 2022-23- £1,090 million in 2023-24- £1,310 million in 2024-25- £1,330 million in 2025-26- £1,420 million in 2026-27

Public Sector: Health and Social Care Levy

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Health and Social Care Levy, how much is being allocated in 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 as compensation for the additional cost to public sector employers.

Mr Simon Clarke: As part of the 2021 Autumn Budget and Spending review, full supporting documents were published by HM Treasury. These documents can be found here: Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021: documents - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Capital Allowances

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the economic impact of the super-deduction on business investment in (a) 2021-22 and (b) 2022-23.

Lucy Frazer: Since the super-deduction took effect in the first quarter of 2021, business investment has gone up by 9 per cent year on year. In the latest Economy and Fiscal Outlook, the Office for Budget Responsibility have said that the super-deduction and the easing of global supply bottlenecks means they still expect historically high growth in business investment over 2022. A full evaluation of the effectiveness of the super-deduction in stimulating business investment in both 2021-22 and 2022-23 will require HMRC to hold corporate tax returns for the financial years 2021-22 and 2022-23. Any externally commissioned evaluation will be published in the usual way, in line with the Government Social Research Publication Protocol.

Public Finance

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the regional distribution of measures announced in the 2022 Spring Statement; and if he will place a copy of that assessment in the Library.

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an impact assessment of the potential effect of measures included in the Spring Statement 2022 on the West Midlands.

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an impact assessment of the potential effect of measures included in the Spring Statement 2022 on the East Midlands.

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an impact assessment of the potential effect of measures included in the Spring Statement 2022 on London.

Mr Simon Clarke: The Chancellor’s Spring Statement on 23 March 2022 announced a number of measures to support households and businesses in every region and nation of the UK and to relieve the immediate pressure on our cost of living. This includes cutting National Insurance by aligning the Primary Threshold and Lower Profits Limit with the income tax personal allowance from July 2022 – a tax cut worth over £6 billion – and cutting the duty rate on petrol and diesel by 5p per litre for a year, saving the average UK car driver around £100. It sets out that taxes are being cut, debt is falling and public spending is increasing, for the benefit of every region and nation in the UK.

Energy: Prices

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to support those who rely on medical equipment to live and face rising bills as a result of energy price increases.

Mr Simon Clarke: Living with a long-term illness or disability can impact significantly on the cost of living. This is why the government invests heavily in supporting disabled people both in and out of work through the welfare system. The government is committed to help protect customers from price spikes, especially vulnerable customers and is very aware of the difficulties that consumers are experiencing as a result of the rise in energy prices. The Government is providing significant financial support – up to £350 – to the majority of households, which will cover more than half of the April rise in energy bills for the average household. This support is worth £9.1 billion in 2022-23. The Government is providing further support for vulnerable households, elderly and low-income people through the Warm Home Discount - which is being expanded by a third to 3 million people and increased to £150 – in addition to the continuation of Winter Fuel Payments and Cold Weather Payments. The government is also providing an additional £500 million for the Household Support Fund from April, on top of the £500 million we have already provided since October 2021, bringing total funding to £1 billion. In England, Local Authorities are best placed to direct this help to those in their areas who need it most and will receive £421 million, whilst the devolved administrations will receive £79 million through the Barnett formula. The Government continues to support vulnerable groups through NHS services. The additional funding announced at the Spending Review, made possible by the new Health and Social Care Levy, means that the NHS resource budget will increase to over £160 billion in 2024-25. These investments will allow the NHS to continue providing the services people need.

Public Finance

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) impact of the (i) Spring Statement 2022 and (ii) October Budget 2021 and (b) combined impact of those fiscal events on (A) women, (B) Black, Asian and minority ethnic people, (C) disabled people, (D) LGBT+ people and (E) pensioners.

Mr Simon Clarke: The Treasury carefully considers the impact of its decisions on those sharing protected characteristics, including at Spring Statement 2022 and Autumn Budget 2021 and other fiscal events, in line with both its legal obligations and with its strong commitment to promoting fairness. Those with protected characteristics are amongst those who are benefitting from the actions taken at the Spring Statement 2022 and Autumn Budget 2021. These include increases in the National Living Wage (NLW) to £9.50 an hour for workers aged 23 and over, which will benefit women, people with disabilities and individuals from some ethnic minority backgrounds, who are more likely to be on the NLW. Women and the LGBT community are disproportionately affected by domestic abuse and sexual violence and are being supported by increased funding announced at Autumn Budget 2021 for victim support services, including Independent Sexual and Domestic Violence Advisors. Spending Review 2021 also announced an enhanced offer for workers aged 50 and over to ensure that older workers receive the support they need to remain in or return to work and benefit from fuller working lives.

Departmental Expenditure Limits

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if his Department will produce a table showing Departmental Capital Budget (CDEL) plans in 2021-22, by Government department (a) at the time of the October 2021 Budget and (b) the updated CDEL plans by department at the time of the March 2022 Spring Statement.

Mr Simon Clarke: At the Spending Review 2021 (SR21), HM Treasury published tables showing departmental Capital (CDEL) budgets, broken down by government department. At the Spring Statement 2022 (SS22), HM Treasury published an updated table of CDEL budgets, also broken down by department. At SR21, the CDEL table was published as table 1.18 of chapter 1. At SS22, the CDEL table was published as table 1.5 of chapter 1. Both documents are available on the gov.uk website.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the article of Bureau for Investigative Journalism on 10 March 2022 that reported how ODA reporting for vaccine donations displaced up to £144 million of aid, if he will ensure any vaccine donation ODA reporting for 2022 is additional, rather than within, its 0.5 per cent GNI target.

Mr Simon Clarke: The government remains committed to international development and providing support to the world's poorest, and intends to return to spending 0.7% of gross national income on Official Development Assistance (ODA) when the fiscal situation allows. The 2021 Spending Review provides departments with an ODA budget that rises to £12.3 billion in 2024-25, growing by 23% compared to the £10 billion allocated at the 2020 Spending Review, and facilitates significant increases across priority spending areas. This will ensure that the UK remains one of the largest ODA spenders in the world and well above the OECD Development Assistance Committee average. The UK donated 30.8 million vaccines in 2021. We have now donated a total of 54.5 million vaccines, benefitting more than 38 countries. Our 100 million dose-donation target is part of one billion doses G7 leaders committed to share and finance at the Carbis Bay summit. They are a testament to our collective commitment to accelerate global vaccine access. As with all ODA eligible expenditure, donations of surplus vaccines will count towards meeting the UK’s annual ODA spending commitment; this is the established UK approach in line with international rules.

Hospitality Industry: VAT

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the rise in VAT on businesses in the hospitality sector.

Lucy Frazer: The temporary reduced rate of VAT was introduced on 15 July 2020 to support the cash flow and viability of around 150,000 businesses and protect over 2.4 million jobs in the hospitality and tourism sectors. As announced at Spring Budget 2021, the Government extended the 5 per cent temporary reduced rate of VAT for the tourism and hospitality sectors until the end of September 2021. On 1 October 2021, a new reduced rate of 12.5 per cent was introduced for these goods and services to help ease affected businesses back to the standard rate. This relief ended on the 31 March 2022. The Government has been clear that the reduced rate of VAT for hospitality and tourism was a temporary measure designed to support sectors that have been severely affected by COVID-19. It is appropriate that as restrictions are lifted and demand for goods and services in these sectors increases, the temporary tax reliefs are first reduced, and then removed, in order to rebuild and strengthen the public finances.

Employers' Contributions

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many employers pay Class 1 National Insurance contributions but are not eligible for the Employment Allowance.

Lucy Frazer: For the tax year 2020-21, an estimated 520,000 employers were subject to Class 1 National Insurance liabilities and did not claim the Employment Allowance. This represents 32.5 per cent of employers with Class 1 National Insurance liabilities in the tax year 2020-21.

Employees' Contributions and Income Tax

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an estimate of an employee earning £25,000, how much (a) Income Tax and (b) National Insurance Contributions, they would be paying in each of 2021-22 and 2022-23, in both (i) nominal and (ii) 2021-22 prices; and if he will place a copy of the results of that calculation in the Library.

Lucy Frazer: The Government does not routinely publish estimates of tax liability by income level, as it is dependent on an individual’s circumstances and can vary between people with the same annual incomes. As announced at Spring Statement 2022, the increase in the starting thresholds of National Insurance contributions (NICs) will benefit almost 30 million working people. This is a tax cut worth over £330 a year, for a typical employee, from July 2022. From July 2022, around 70 per cent of workers who pay NICs will pay less NICs than they otherwise would have, even after accounting for the introduction of the Health and Social Care Levy.

Taxation

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will commission the Office for Budget Responsibility to make an estimate of the amount of tax that will be raised from item 10 in the Spring Statement 2022, HMRC: investment in compliance; and if he will place a copy of that estimate in the Library.

Lucy Frazer: At Spring Statement 2022, the Office for Budget Responsibility estimated the total amount of tax that will be raised from ‘HMRC: investment in compliance’ to be £3,155 million between 2021-22 and 2026-27. Further information, including an annual breakdown of the Exchequer impact, can be found on page 13 of the Spring Statement 2022 policy costings document, available here:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1062462/Policy_Costings_Document_Spring_Statement_2022.pdf.

Care Homes: Employers' Contributions

David Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the 1.5 per cent increase in employer national insurance contributions on care home operators; and whether he has plans to exempt the care sector from that increase.

Lucy Frazer: The increase to Employer National Insurance contributions by 1.25 percentage points is expected to raise £975 million per year from employers carrying out health and social care activities. The Government cannot break this down to show the cost to care home operators. The Government has made the tough but responsible choice to increase taxes to fund a significant increase in permanent spending on the NHS and social care. There are no plans to exempt the care sector from the National Insurance increase. On the 7 September the Government announced that we would be investing an additional £5.4 billion over the next three years using the funds raised by the levy to begin a comprehensive programme of reform for adult social care. Additionally, local authorities can make use of over £1 billion of additional resource specifically for social care in 2022-23. This includes £636 million more into the Social Care Grant, including funding for equalisation against the 1 per cent Adult Social Care (ASC) precept, an inflationary uplift to the improved Better Care Fund to support integrated working with the NHS, and a 1 per cent ASC precept and deferred flexibilities from last year's settlement.

Care Homes: VAT

David Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to exempt care homes from paying VAT on works carried out to their premises.

Lucy Frazer: VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to the vast majority of goods and services. While there are exceptions to the standard rate, these have always been strictly limited by both legal and fiscal considerations. One such exception is a reduced rate of VAT at 5 per cent, subject to certain conditions, for residential renovations, such as building services and materials. This includes conversions of buildings from one residential use to another, conversions from commercial to residential use, and the renovation of properties that have been empty for two years or more prior to the renovation work. Another exception is applied to the installation in residential accommodation, including housing association accommodation and care homes, of various energy saving materials (ESMs), such as insulation and draught stripping. At Spring Statement 2022, the Chancellor announced that installations of ESMs will now be zero rated from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2027 in Great Britain. He also announced the removal of complex qualifying criteria. Further information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-the-vat-treatment-of-the-installation-of-energy-saving-materials-in-in-great-britain/the-value-added-tax-installation-of-energy-saving-materials-order-2022. Expanding the reliefs further would come at a significant cost to the public finances. For example, introducing a reduced rate of VAT on all renovations and repairs to residential properties would cost around £3.75 billion per year. Such costs would have to be balanced by increased taxes elsewhere, increased borrowing or reductions in Government spending. However, the Government keeps all taxes under review.

Cash Dispensing

Gavin Robinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department has taken to protect access to cash in the last 12 months.

John Glen: The Government recognises that cash remains an important part of daily life for millions of people across the UK, and remains committed to legislating to protect access to cash. As part of the Financial Services Act 2021, the Government made legislative changes to support the widespread offering of cashback without a purchase by shops and other businesses. From 1 July to 23 September last year, the Government held the Access to Cash Consultation on further proposals for new laws to make sure people only need to travel a reasonable distance to pay in or take out cash. The Government’s proposals intend to support the continued use of cash in people’s daily lives and help to enable local businesses to continue accepting cash by ensuring they can access deposit facilities. The Government received responses to the consultation from a broad range of respondents, including individuals, businesses, and charities. The Government has carefully considered responses to the consultation and will set out next steps in due course. Following the Government’s commitment to legislate, firms are working together through the Cash Action Group to develop new initiatives to provide shared services. The Government welcomes the direction set by industry’s commitments at the end of last year and looks forward to seeing what results they deliver in protecting cash facilities for local communities across the UK.

Electronic Funds Transfer: Fraud

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what legislative steps he plans to take to tackle barriers to regulatory action against authorised push payment scams; what his timetable is for bringing forward such legislation; and whether those proposals will include amendment of the Payment Services Regulations 2017.

John Glen: Authorised Push Payment (APP) scams pose risks to UK customers, with increasingly sophisticated scams that can be detrimental to people’s lives. The Government recognises the urgency of this matter, and has therefore committed to legislate to address any barriers to regulatory action on mandatory reimbursement when parliamentary time allows. The Government will set out more detail on its approach in due course.

Payment Services Regulations 2017

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to publish the report required to be published on or before 13 January 2023 under Regulation 158(2) of the Payment Services Regulations 2017 setting out the conclusions of his Department's review of the regulatory provisions contained in those Regulation; and what steps he plans to take to involve organisations representing consumers in that review.

John Glen: The government is delivering the Future Regulatory Framework (FRF) Review. This will ensure that, having left the EU, the government establishes a coherent, agile and internationally respected approach to financial services regulation that is right for the UK, delegating the setting of regulatory standards to the regulators who will work within an overall policy framework set by government and Parliament. Given this backdrop, the government intends to publish its review of the Payment Services Regulations 2017, which is retained EU Law, no earlier than January 2023.

Public Sector: Fraud

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when his proposed Public Sector Fraud Authority will (a) be established and (b) become operational.

John Glen: The Public Sector Fraud Authority was announced at spring forecast. It will become fully operational later this year. The Authority builds on the government’s existing Counter Fraud Function, which is operational now.

Recycling: Red Diesel

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to help ensure that small metals recycling businesses are protected from negative impacts following that industry's loss of the use of red diesel from 1 April 2022.

Helen Whately: The Chancellor confirmed at Spring Budget 2021 that the Government would remove the entitlement to use red diesel for most uses from April 2022. This more fairly reflects the negative environmental impact of the emissions produced and helps to ensure that the tax system incentivises the development and adoption of greener alternative technologies. To support the development of alternatives that affected businesses can switch to, the Government is at least doubling the funding provided for energy innovation through the £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio. From that portfolio, the Government announced the £40 million Red Diesel Replacement Competition, which will provide grant funding for projects that develop and demonstrate lower carbon, lower cost alternatives to red diesel for the construction, and mining and quarrying sectors. The technologies developed from this programme will also be applicable to other sectors to support decarbonisation, and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is planning a series of dissemination events in the future with industry and other affected sectors to spread awareness about the successes achieved and lessons learned through this programme. As announced at Spring Budget 2021, from 1 April 2021 until 31 March 2023, companies can also claim 130% first-year capital allowances on qualifying plant and machinery investments. Furthermore, in recognition of the unique circumstances that are currently pushing up fuel prices to unprecedented levels, the Government announced at the Spring Statement that it is cutting fuel duty on petrol and diesel by 5 pence per litre for a period of 12 months. This is a significant tax cut that will deliver considerable savings to businesses over the next year, including those that use diesel, and is the first time in over a decade that the main rates of petrol and diesel have been cut.

Alcoholic Drinks: Excise Duties

Derek Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the proposed alcohol duty system on (a) alcohol consumption, (b) alcohol-related hospitalisations, (c) alcohol-related deaths and (d) other health outcomes.

Helen Whately: The Government intends to move to a new system that taxes all products in reference to their alcohol content for the first time. This will help to target problem drinking by taxing higher-strength products associated with alcohol-related harm a higher rate of duty. We are also introducing a reduced rate of duty on low strength drinks below 3.5% ABV to support innovation and responsible drinking. This will encourage manufacturers to develop new products at lower ABVs, giving consumers more options to drink responsibly.Further detail about the impact of our alcohol duty reforms on public health will be included in a tax information and impact note when the policy is final, or near final, in the usual way.

Government Internal Audit Agency: Staff

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 31 March 2022 to Question 148083, for what reason his Department's contract with Health Management Ltd., tendered through procurement reference CCSH21A12, states the headcount of the Government Internal Audit Agency (a) to have been 435 in 2021-22 and (b) to be 522 in 2022-23.

Helen Whately: When the procurement exercise (CCSH21A12) was run in June 2021, the Government Internal Audit Agency erroneously provided the Full Time Equivalent value for its staff of 435 for the 2021-22 year, instead of the correct headcount number of 522 - which assumes all existing vacancies are filled. There hasn’t been a 20% increase in headcount. The agency is subject to civil service headcount controls and is expected to deliver efficiency targets set at the spending review.

Fuels: Excise Duties

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what distributional analysis his Department has undertaken on the impact of the reduction in fuel duty announced in the Spring Statement 2022.

Helen Whately: The government has published a tax information and impact note on the fuel duty changes announced at Spring Statement. This includes the impacts on individuals, households, and families, as well as those that share protected characteristics. It is noted that this measure has potential to impact up to an estimated 36 million individuals by reducing motoring costs, subject to how much they drive, relative to fuel duty rates remaining unchanged. This can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-fuel-duty-rates/fuel-duty-rates-2022-23 Alongside the Spring Statement, the government has also published distributional analysis on the estimated impact of tax changes (including fuel duty) for households. This can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spring-statement-2022-documents

Public Finance: Disability

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what specific measures for disabled people are included in the Spring Statement 2022.

Helen Whately: The government is committed to enabling disabled people and those with long-term health conditions to live fulfilling and independent lives. Spring Statement announced a substantial package of measures worth over £22 billion in 2022-23 to help households with the cost of living, which will benefit disabled people both in and out of work. This includes an additional £500m for the Household Support Fund to help households with the cost of essentials such as food, clothing, and utilities. In England, the fund will continue to be distributed to Local Authorities, who are best placed to direct help to those who need it most, including those with disabilities.In addition, the Spring Statement allocated £25.3 million to Local Authorities across England for the installation of over 500 life-enhancing Changing Places public toilets, providing targeted support for people with severe disabilities.The Spring Statement measures should be seen alongside the significant multi-year support for disabled people that was already announced in the 2021 Autumn Budget and Spending Review, which included over £1.1 billion of investment to help those with disabilities secure and sustain employment, and £2.6 billion for new school places for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in England.The government recognises that a disability or long-term health condition can have a significant impact on the cost of living at the best of times. We continue to invest heavily in the welfare system to support disabled people both in and out of work, and in 2022-23 we are currently forecast to spend over £64 billion on benefits to support disabled people and people with health conditions in Great Britain. This is around 2.5% of UK GDP.

Educational Institutions: Domestic Visits

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he last visited a (a) primary school, (b) secondary school, (c) further education college and (d) university since 14 February 2020; and if he will publish details of those visits.

Helen Whately: The Chancellor of the Exchequer has last visited the following educational institutions: Primary and Secondary School: King Solomon Academy, London – 29 April 2021Further Education College: Darlington College, Darlington – 11 April 2022University: Aston University, Birmingham – 2 August 2021

Department for Education

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on how many occasions he has met the Secretary of State for Education since 15 September 2021; and what matters were discussed at each of those meetings.

Helen Whately: In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of ministerial discussions are not normally disclosed.

Treasury: Apprentices

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Public Sector Apprenticeships Target, how many apprentices were employed in his Department in the financial year 2021-22; and what percentage of the total workforce in 2021-2022 were apprentices.

Helen Whately: Final figures for apprenticeships in 2021-22 are not yet available. The Cabinet Office, on behalf of the Civil Service, will be publishing a full breakdown of departmental performance on apprenticeships in the Autumn in line with previous years. Data for all departments between 2017 and 2021 is available on gov.uk and shows the department recruited 84 apprentices, equivalent to 3.2% of headcount during 2020/21.

Treasury: Public Expenditure

John Healey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total estimated cost is of the reduction to day-to-day spending at his Department between 1 April 2022 and 2025 based on the predicted levels of inflation for that period.

Helen Whately: As part of SR21, departments were asked to meet strict planning assumptions which were based on the expectation that departments would deliver savings over the Spending Review period. At SR21 the government also committed to reducing non-frontline civil service headcount to 2019-20 levels by 2024-25, bar justifiable exemptions. As a result of this HMT’s day-to-day nominal spending is planned to reduce by £25m between April 2022 and April 2025.

Innovation: Finance

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the planned cost is of the Innovation Challenge announced in the Spring Statement 2022.

Helen Whately: There is no planned cost of the Innovation Challenge, and it will be delivered through the existing departmental resources.

Hospitality Industry: Small Businesses

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what support is available to small hospitality businesses affected by rising (a) fuel costs and (b) VAT from 1 April 2022.

Helen Whately: The government has prioritised support for SMEs by cutting business rates by 50% for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure businesses, providing a 95% subsidy for apprenticeships, and supporting them to invest and grow by increasing the Annual Investment Allowance to £1 million. The Help to Grow scheme provides eligible SMEs with a 90% subsidy for world class management training and subsidises the cost of new software up to £5,000. The Spring Statement 2022 went further and cuts the cost of employment for half a million small businesses, by increasing the Employment Allowance from £4,000 to £5,000. This means that from April, 670,000 businesses will not pay NICs and the Health and Social Care Levy. In addition, the main rates of petrol and diesel duty will be cut by 5 pence per litre, the largest cash terms cut that has ever been applied to fuel duty rates at once.

Public Finance

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the distributional impact of financial decisions announced since the Spending Round 2019 on households in 2024-25, excluding benefits-in-kind from public services.

Mr Simon Clarke: The Chancellor’s assessment of the cash impact of tax and welfare decisions is shown in Chart 1.C, of “Impact on households: distributional analysis to accompany Spring Statement 2022”, where it is presented alongside the impact of benefits-in-kind from public services. Taking into account spending on public services provides a more complete picture of Government policy, as it is an important element of the overall support provided by the government to households.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Culture: Ukraine

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department has taken to ensure UK cultural institutions avoid relationships with non-UK organisations that (a) hold or (b) host items taken from Ukrainian territory.

Nigel Huddleston: The government is committed to protecting cultural property and combating the illicit trade in cultural objects. We are working with international partners, and the Ukrainian authorities, to protect Ukraine’s cultural heritage and property from unlawful removal and illicit trade.All UK cultural institutions, and the art market, are required to ensure that the objects which they handle are of lawful provenance. No UK institutions should therefore have dealings with organisations that knowingly receive cultural objects removed from Ukraine without the appropriate permission of the relevant Ukrainian authorities.

Holiday Accommodation

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has plans to take further steps to tackle the rise in short term holiday lets including those that are a result of new build properties.

Nigel Huddleston: The government committed in its Tourism Recovery Plan to consult on a registration scheme for short term tourist accommodation in England. Ahead of this, however, the government intends to launch a call for evidence that will seek views on a range of issues that arise from the increase in short term and holiday letting.I have already begun the process of informally speaking to stakeholders across the sector on this issue, to inform the call for evidence. For example in December 2021, I held two roundtables with attendees from the private sector, Local Authorities, tourism representative groups, and others.The government supports institutional investment into the private rented sector, through the expansion of the Build to Rent market. This can help drive up overall housing supply and raise standards.The Build to Rent sector is one example that has attracted significant institutional investment over recent years, delivering purpose-built, good quality, professionally managed homes for long-term rental.

Digital Radio and Audio Review

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when the Government will publish its response to the digital radio and audio review.

Julia Lopez: The Government expects to publish its response to the Digital Radio and Audio Review within the coming weeks.

Swimming: Education

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the findings of the November 2021 survey of UK swim schools undertaken by the Swimming Teachers’ Association; and what steps she plans to take to increase (a) national swimming teacher provision and (b) reduce waiting lists for swimming lessons at swim schools.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to indoor and outdoor pools. Swimming is a great way for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy as well as being a crucial life skill in terms of water safety.The Government has provided a range of support for swimming pools during the pandemic. The £100 million National Leisure Recovery Fund supported the reopening of local authority swimming pools throughout the country.Sport England continues to invest in access to swimming, awarding £9,112,544 in grassroots swimming and diving since 2019, including £6,230,502 directly to Swim England. This supports Swim England’s work to develop the swimming workforce, including the Institute of Swimming which delivers training for swimming teachers.Swim England are running a Recruitment Academy to help tackle the issue of teacher shortages across the sector, offering an end-to-end service which seeks, recruits and trains swimming teachers. There are currently 48 academies in progress with over 200 learners going through the programme.

Sports: Children

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help ensure that every child can engage in community sports.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government is committed to ensuring that all children and young people have the best opportunities to engage in sport and physical activity.Throughout the pandemic we provided an unprecedented £1 billion of financial support to ensure the survival of the sport and leisure sector. To tackle inequalities and support those most impacted by the restrictions, Sport England have launched a new £20 million Together Fund that builds on the work of their £20 million Tackling Inequalities Fund to help people stay active and provide guidance on how to find accessible activities. Initiatives such as the Studio You video platform, funded by Sport England and powered by This Girl Can, are also encouraging more teenage girls to be active. Sport England’s recently launched Uniting the Movement strategy reinforces their commitment to tackling inequalities faced in sport by underrepresented groups.A key driver of the government’s School Sport and Activity Action Plan is to ensure that all children and young people have access to at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. This is supported by £320 million per year through the PE and sport premium.

Sports: Students

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to encourage sports students to continue with their sporting passions after they leave education.

Nigel Huddleston: Sports and physical activity are incredibly important for our physical and mental health and all generations and communities should be able to enjoy the health, wellbeing, social and other benefits of being active.Since the government launched its sports strategy, Sporting Future in 2015, Sport England has allocated over £1.5 billion to nearly 5,000 grassroots organisations across the UK to support everyone to continue to participate in sport and physical activity.The Government also funds the Diploma in Sporting Excellence, a unique qualification that allows student athletes to combine sport and education, so that they have the skills, knowledge and qualifications to pursue a dual career in high level sport alongside separate paid employment in the future.Through this work we will continue to provide opportunities for sports students to continue with their sporting passions after they leave education.

Football: Disciplinary Proceedings

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will hold discussions with the Football Association on its policy in respect of the keeping of transcripts of proceedings for disciplinary hearings covering breaches of regulations by footballs clubs; and if she will make a statement.

Nigel Huddleston: The policies with regards to recording meetings between football clubs and competition organisers are independent of the government and a matter for the relevant organiser.

Football: Wales

Alex Davies-Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the geographical spread of successful applications for the recently announced UK Government funding for grassroots football facilities in Wales.

Alex Davies-Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her Department’s recent investment in 17 grassroots football facilities in Wales, what steps were taken to consult with the relevant Minister in Welsh Government on the allocation of this funding.

Alex Davies-Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what criteria her Department used when determining the recent allocation of funding for grassroots football facilities in Wales.

Alex Davies-Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many unsuccessful applications for funding for grassroots football facilities her Department received from football clubs in Wales.

Nigel Huddleston: The UK Government has invested £1.3m to improve and upgrade grassroots facilities across Wales this year. The 17 funded projects include grass and artificial grass pitches, changing rooms, floodlights and other infrastructure to make a real difference to communities across Wales. The Government has committed another £205m to multi-use grassroots facilities UK-wide between 2022 and 2025. Further investment into Welsh grassroots sport will be set out later in 2022, so that even more clubs and communities can benefit from access to high-quality pitches and facilities.The Football Association of Wales (FAW) distributed this year’s investment on behalf of DCMS, inviting and assessing over 300 expressions of interest before awarding funding to the 17 successful projects. Projects were selected using a range of criteria - including their ability to deliver improved access for women and girls, disabled players and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, as part of the government’s ambition to level up access to facilities across the UK. At least 30% of the projects will benefit a sport other than football and at least 50% of the investment is being delivered in the most deprived areas of Wales, based on their Indices of Multiple Deprivation Ranking. Projects were also assessed on their deliverability and capacity to start work as soon as possible.The Welsh Government and Sport Wales were represented on the advisory panel, which the FAW assembled to support their decision making. I have also met with my Ministerial counterpart in the Welsh Government to discuss the programme.Projects across ten local authority areas in Wales have received a share of this year’ funding. Details of all projects are available on GOV.UK.

Football Governance Fan-led Review

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to implement in full the recommendations of the fan led review of football governance in the forthcoming Queen's Speech.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government has endorsed the principle that football requires a strong, independent regulator to secure the future of our national game. We are working at pace to consider the recommendations of the Fan Led Review, and determine the most effective way to deliver an independent regulator. The response to the review, including next steps, will be issued in the coming weeks.

Gambling: Compensation

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of existing avenues of consumer redress for people in disputes with gambling operators.

Chris Philp: Our Review of the Gambling Act 2005 is taking a close look at the effectiveness of the regulatory framework and whether further protections are needed to ensure that all those who choose to gamble can do so safely. As part of its broad scope, the Review is looking at the suitability of existing consumer redress arrangements and we called for evidence on whether changes are needed to better support individuals who feel they have been treated unfairly or harmed by gambling operators in breach of their social responsibility obligations. We will publish a White Paper outlining our conclusions and proposals in the coming weeks.

Internet: Suicide

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether instructions on how to take your own life will be considered illegal content that assists suicide in the new online safety regime.

Chris Philp: Encouraging or assisting suicide is illegal. Any website publishing illegal suicide content is already breaking the law.Under the Online Safety Bill, all platforms in scope will need to tackle and remove illegal material online.

Film: Investment

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to invest in the regional film industry.

Julia Lopez: My department continues to work closely with the British Film Institute (BFI) and the Devolved Administrations to ensure a wide range of funding and initiatives are available to support the film industry across the UK. This includes the UK-wide screen sector tax reliefs, the £500 million Production Restart Scheme, and the UK Global Screen Fund which will invest nearly £30 million in the international growth of independent screen companies across the UK.The BFI has invested £64 million of National Lottery funding outside of London and the South East region between 2017/18 and 2021/22 across the UK. This support ranges from audience and talent development programmes, run in conjunction with regional Film Hubs and national screen agencies across the UK, through to the National Cluster Growth Fund, which supports the development of high potential screen clusters outside of London and the South East - such as Screen Yorkshire and Create Central in the West Midlands. The BFI is currently developing its National Lottery strategy for the next ten years and is consulting stakeholders and the public as it develops its objectives, outcomes, and programmes to ensure it delivers maximum impact for both audiences and industry across the UK.The Government also works closely with the British Film Commission (BFC), a national body predominantly funded by DCMS, which also supports and promotes UK-wide film and high-end television production and works in close partnership with the national and regional screen agencies.

Counter Disinformation Unit: Russia

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Counter Disinformation Unit has contacted YouTube to request the removal of videos doctored by the Russian state following the tweet by the Ministry of Defence on 23 March 2022 of their letter that organisation dated 22 March 2022.

Chris Philp: YouTube and other major tech companies have policies relating to disinformation, content manipulation, and other relevant harms to their users. HMG is clear that these calls and videos were part of Russian information and influence operation designed to achieve strategic effect to the advantage of the Russian state, by attempting to embarrass HMG, weaken its relationship with its allies, and undermine its support for Ukraine. Following DCMS engagement, YouTube removed the videos from their platform on 25 March 2022 in line with their Terms of Service.

Counter Disinformation Unit: Social Media

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many pieces of content the Counter Disinformation Unit has asked social media providers to remove following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Chris Philp: The DCMS-led Counter Disinformation Unit is working to identify and counter Russian disinformation targeted at UK and international audiences. This includes working closely with the major social media platforms to ensure that they are cooperating at speed to swiftly address disinformation and coordinated inauthentic or manipulated behaviour, as per their Terms of Service. Where this content breaches their own Terms of Service, we expect platforms to remove it promptly. We are also ensuring that platforms are promoting authoritative content which accurately depicts the ongoing situation in Ukraine.It would not be appropriate to provide a running commentary on operational detail which may risk undermining the CDU’s security and effectiveness. Now more than ever the effectiveness of the Unit is paramount as we continue our vital work to protect UK citizens from Russian disinformation.The Online Safety Bill will force companies to remove illegal mis/disinformation that impacts individuals including state-sponsored mis/disinformation that contains illegal content. However this issue is not just about the content but the platform features, as hostile states take advantage of platform design and features, such as algorithms, to spread their propaganda. To address this, the Bill will require service providers to assess how the design of their services is linked to harm. They will have to look at how their services allow users to forward or share content, or to express views on other users’ content through “likes”, features often utilised by hostile states.​​The Government is also committed to introducing further legislation to provide our world-class security services and law enforcement agencies with a suite of modern tools they need to tackle a full range of state threats.

Commercial Broadcasting: Radio

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the effect of the content produced by BBC Sounds on the quality of output of commercial radio.

Julia Lopez: The Government has received representations from the commercial radio sector about the impact of BBC radio and audio services, including new services being launched on BBC Sounds. It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator, to assess whether particular BBC services have an impact on the provision of commercial radio and audio services.The Mid-Term Review of the BBC’s Royal Charter offers an opportunity for the government to consider whether current governance and regulatory arrangements for the BBC are working effectively. We will be publishing more details about the Mid-Term Review shortly.

Arts

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support a greater role for (a) music and (b) the arts in the UK's recovering from the covid-19 pandemic.

Julia Lopez: The Government recognises the huge contribution arts and music make, not only to the economy and international reputation of the United Kingdom, but also to the wellbeing and enrichment of its people and communities.As such, the government has increased tax reliefs for theatre, orchestras, museums and galleries until 2024. This is a fantastic boost for arts and music in this country, to keep producing the talent and content we are world famous for.The Government recently announced plans to increase and better distribute arts funding to previously overlooked or neglected areas. An additional £75 million will be provided by 2025 to make sure places which have been culturally under-served in the past get a better distribution of arts funding, generating more opportunities, jobs and better access to cultural activities. A new National Plan for Music Education will also be published later this year.We are also developing a Creative Industries Sector Vision which will set out our ambition for the sector up to 2030. As part of this, the government announced £50 million of growth support for creative businesses - including those within music - across the country.

Social Media: Regulation

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether Ofcom will be allocated extra resources when the regulation of social media platforms becomes part of its remit.

Chris Philp: The positive funding outcome secured through the 2021 Spending Review enables us to deliver against the government’s commitment to make the UK the safest place to be online. Ofcom will receive a total of £88.64m for the financial years 2022/23 and 2023/24. In 2024/25 Ofcom should be self-funding its online safety work through an annual fee on industry.This funding will ensure that Ofcom has the resources it needs to establish its online safety functions for the successful implementation of the Online Safety legislation which has now been introduced in Parliament.

Broadband

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many (a) applications were received and (b) grants allocated to which organisations as part of the Fibre in the Water competition.

Julia Lopez: Two bids were received and evaluated as part of the Fibre in Water competition. The Government has allocated £1.2 million to the winning consortium to proceed with the design stage of the project. The remaining £2 million funds will be granted once this stage has been reviewed.It comes from HM Treasury’s Shared Outcomes Fund which is used to fund pilot projects to test innovative ways of working across the public sector.The project is led by Yorkshire Water, with Arcadis and University of Strathclyde. Additional partners will be announced shortly.Please see the full press release announcement here.

COP26

Climate Change: Development Aid

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the President of COP26, what discussions he has had with his Egyptian Government counterpart on establishing a finance facility for countries affected by loss and damage at COP27.

Alok Sharma: Making practical progress on averting, minimising and addressing loss and damage this year is a priority for the UK. We are working closely with Egypt, as well as other key partners, to achieve this. At COP26, parties agreed to set up the Glasgow Dialogue on Loss and Damage, which aims to discuss the arrangements for the funding of activities to enhance action to address loss and damage, concluding in 2024. Alongside the dialogue, we are also working with Egypt and other countries and institutions to press forward the final operationalisation of the Santiago Network on loss and damage, and secure offers of funding for this operation and the technical assistance the Network provides.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners: Drugs

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, in the context of reported figures on black people being ten times more likely than white people to be sent to prison for first-time drug offences, what steps he is taking to tackle this imbalance.

Kit Malthouse: We recognise that race disparities persist in the Criminal Justice System, and we are committed to identifying and addressing disparities under the axiom of ‘explain or reform’ laid out in the Lammy Review. And though we acknowledge that Black people are overrepresented amongst those sentenced to prison for a first-time drug offence, this falls short of the reported 10-fold figure. Recent data indicates that the main drivers of this overrepresentation lie upstream of the point of prosecution. The government’s data on Outcomes by Offence shows that relative to Black individuals being prosecuted for drug possession, a similar proportion go on to be sentenced for the same offence (15% of individuals identified as Black during prosecution and at the point of sentencing). At the point of sentence, in 2020, 3% of Black individuals were sentenced to immediate custody as a proportion of all Black individuals sentenced for drug possession, which was the same rate as for White individuals, also 3%. These figures suggest that upon reaching prosecution, Black individuals receive outcomes at similar rates to White counterparts. This mirrors the findings of the report from the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, and our ambitious response - the Inclusive Britain strategy, which highlighted the importance of a whole system approach.Whilst sentencing is a matter for our independent courts, we are committed to tackling the deep-rooted reasons why people from ethnic minorities are overrepresented in the criminal justice system, including the disproportionate criminalisation of ethnic minorities for drug offences. As set out in Inclusive Britain we have committed to exploring a wide range of schemes to divert people away from the CJS for possession, where appropriate, and will share what works best with police services around the country.

Youth Custody: Restraint Techniques

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his Department will publish figures on the average monthly rate of use of force incidents per 100 children and young adults in youth custody for (a) girls and (b) boys in each of the last ten years.

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the use of forced restraint on girls held in youth custody.

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish figures for the number of occasions on which children and young adults required medical treatment for an injury following the use of force in youth custody in each of the last 10 years.

Victoria Atkins: The safety and welfare of young people held in custody is our highest priority. It is our policy that physical restraint should only be used where there is no other suitable alternative and that staff should first utilise behaviour management techniques that focus on de-escalation and diversion. When restraint is used, we are clear that must be it must always be reasonable, necessary, and proportionate in the circumstances. Data on the use of physical restraint at secure settings in the secure youth estate is published in the Youth Justice annual statistics. Information on rates of incidents of Restrictive Physical Intervention (RPI) by gender and the numbers of injuries requiring medical treatment as a result of an RPI are included in supplementary tables 8.6 and 8.7 respectively. Whilst there has been a significant reduction in the overall number of children in custody, girls, although accounting for a smaller proportion of children, present with particularly challenging and vulnerable needs. The latest publication covers the period from 2015 to 2021, and data for years 2010 to 2015 is included in the statistics for 2014 to 2015. The series can be accessed via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/youth-justice-statistics. Since June 2020, the Youth Custody Service has been working on revisions to the existing restraint syllabus which is used in Young Offender Institutions and Secure Training Centres. It will be piloted followed by a wider roll-out once the pilot scheme has been evaluated. These revisions represent a significant change for the YCS, as the focus of the new syllabus will be on the positive behaviour management of children in our care. The new syllabus seeks to enhance the ability of staff to manage and de-escalate behaviour, wherever possible, in a child centred manner and reinforce good behaviour.

Parole: Reform

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish the criteria his Department uses to decide on the appropriateness of releasing an offender from prison as part of its reforms to the parole process; and if he will make a statement.

Kit Malthouse: The Government’s Root and Branch Review of the Parole System, published on 30 March, includes a proposal to expand the statutory release test to make it clear that public protection is the overriding consideration. Under the proposed reforms, the same statutory test will apply whether it is the Parole Board assessing the appropriateness of release or the Secretary of State exercising the proposed powers to oversee the decisions in top-tier cases. It is our intention to set out as part of the release test, on the face of the legislation, a list of statutory criteria to make it clear the factors that must be taken into account. That proposed list of criteria was published in the Root and Branch Review.

Parole

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many parole board releases for offenders convicted of (a) rape, (b) murder and (c) terror-related offences did the Secretary of State for Justice ask the parole board to reconsider in each year since 2016.

Kit Malthouse: The reconsideration mechanism was introduced within updated Parole Board Rules in July 2019.Since the introduction of the reconsideration mechanism, the Secretary of State has requested reconsideration by the Parole Board in a total of 39 cases.Within that total, 8 applications were for offences of rape, 6 applications were for offences of murder and 7 applications were for terror-related offences.Note: The above are instances of reconsideration applications not number of offenders covered by the applications.

Parole

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his plans to reform the parole process will consider preventing released offenders living near their victim where that is against the victim's wishes.

Kit Malthouse: As we announced in our Root and Branch Review of the Parole System, published on 30 March, our focus is to enhance public protection and improve the system for victims – giving them greater access and a more prominent voice in the parole process. It is already the case that upon release from prison, and for the duration of their licence period, offenders must only reside at an address approved by the Probation Service. Failure to comply with such conditions can result in the offender being recalled to prison. The victim’s wishes are taken into account in developing the offender’s release plan. Victims signed up to the Victim Contact Scheme have the statutory right to request licence conditions in advance of a prisoner’s release and the Probation Service will consider what conditions may be required to protect victims and their families against unwanted contact. These could include a non-contact condition or an exclusion zone, prohibiting the offender from entering areas where the victim lives and works, or to which the victim travels frequently. Protecting the public and victims is the government’s priority. Under our proposed reforms, we will ensure that victims’ wishes and concerns are given more prominence in the parole process, including plans to require the Parole Board to take account of submissions from victims.

Parole

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the assessment of risk to the public in his plans to reform the parole process will include the risk of re-traumatising victims.

Kit Malthouse: The Government’s Root and Branch Review of the Parole System, published on 30 March, set out reforms that will ensure public protection and public confidence are at the heart of the parole process, as well as giving victims a stronger voice. We have announced our intention to amend the statutory test for release, to introduce ministerial oversight of decisions in the top-tier cohort of cases, to increase the number of Parole Board panel members from law enforcement backgrounds and to allow victims to make submissions to the Parole Board which the Board must take into account. The test for release will focus on what is necessary to ensure that the public, including victims, are protected by making it clear that this is the overriding consideration. By allowing victims to make submissions to the Board, we will ensure that their concerns about the potential release of the offender are taken into account. We recognise that the parole process can be immensely traumatic for victims. For that reason, some victims will not want to participate in the parole process at all but others want their voices to be heard. Our reforms will ensure that they can do that.

Public Participation: Administration of Justice

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will include legislative proposals to prevent strategic lawsuits against public participation in the forthcoming Queen's Speech.

James Cartlidge: The Government published a Call for Evidence on Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation and libel reform on 17 March. The Call for Evidence will run until 19 May and invites views on legislative, procedural and regulatory reform whilst seeking input from affected parties. We will use the Call for Evidence as a robust basis on which to introduce targeted reforms, including bringing forward any necessary legislation at the earliest opportunity.

Magistrates: Recruitment

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many expressions of interest in becoming a magistrate have been submitted as a result of the recent national recruitment campaign; and what proportion of those who have submitted an expression of interest to become a magistrate (a) are under the age of (i) 30 and (ii) 40, (b) identify as Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic and (c) are in paid employment including self employment.

James Cartlidge: As of 3 April 2022, 33,580 individuals have expressed an interest in joining the magistracy as a result of the recent national recruitment campaign. 93% of expressions provided full demographic data. Of this data, 7% were aged 30 and under, and 24% were under the age of 40 up to 11 March 2022. Of 33,580 expressions of interest 99% disclosed their ethnicity, of this 25% of those who have expressed an interest were Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic. We do not ask applicants their employment status for registers of interest.

Magistrates: Training

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what training is provided to magistrate (a) bench chairs and (b) deputy bench chairs to enable them to support their magistrate colleagues who may be facing employment-related issues in relation to undertaking their judicial duties; and by whom that training is provided.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of training sessions for magistrates hosted by the Judicial College and local training committees are held (a) on weekdays during the day, (b) on weekdays in the evening and (c) on weekends.

James Cartlidge: To preserve the independence of the judiciary, the Lord Chief Justice (LCJ), the Senior President of Tribunals, and the Chief Coroner have statutory responsibility for training, under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007, and Coroners and Justice Act 2009 respectively. The Judicial College creates training material for magistrates, including some online training, and delivers leadership training directly. All other magistrates’ training is delivered by Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) using the Judicial College materials. The Judicial College trains new leadership magistrates, such as bench chairs and deputy bench chairs. This includes training on their pastoral role as well as signposting to relevant resources, including guidance on how to assist with employment issues. Leadership magistrates are then supported in their roles by HMCTS, HR advisers, and by Inclusion and Diversity Magistrates. Timetables of magistrate training sessions across England and Wales differ across regions. The majority of the training is provided on weekdays during the day, with some weekday evening sessions and some training delivered on weekends. The Judicial College also provides a range of online learning and development materials that are accessible to magistrates on demand.

Magistrates

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of sitting magistrates are currently in paid employment.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what support the Government makes available for magistrates in employment to help them with any employment issues they face in relation to undertaking their judicial duties.

James Cartlidge: We currently do not hold data on sitting magistrates’ employment status. We recognise the need to support magistrates in employment and have engaged with employed magistrates to understand the specific challenges they face. As a result, we have developed a range of resources including tools for magistrates to communicate effectively to their employer their responsibilities, the benefits of employing magistrates and how to manage sitting days alongside policy guidance to help employers understand their obligations around employed magistrates. We also have dedicated information on the magistrates recruitment website for employers so they feel they have the right tools to support their employees. This includes information on the role and the benefits of employing magistrates. Additionally, from 1st April 2021, we increased the Financial Loss Allowance by 16%. This increased the maximum allowance to £107.97 from £93.27 for salary employed magistrates, and to £134.96 from £116.58 for self-employed magistrates or magistrates with care costs.To further encourage a diverse range of applicants to the magistracy, and support employed magistrates, the expenses policy now includes a new provision for those on zero hours contracts to claim loss of earnings.

Legal Ombudsman

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his Department will publish all data it holds on the performance of the Legal Ombudsman scheme.

James Cartlidge: As an arm’s length body, it is the responsibility of the Office of Legal Complaints (OLC), which administers the Legal Ombudsman Scheme (LeO), to publish performance data on the LeO scheme. A performance report is provided in its Annual Report and Accounts, which is published online. This provides an understanding of the OLC and how it has performed, drawing together performance data. The 2021-22 annual report will be published after the end of the financial year.The OLC is also responsible for publishing corporate information relating to the LeO scheme, which is available on its website.

Community Orders

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of offenders have had a community order terminated early for failing to comply with requirements in each of the last five years.

James Cartlidge: Community orders consist of one or more requirements decided by the court. Where an offender fails to comply with any requirement of a community order, the court has wide powers: it can amend the order to make the requirements more onerous, impose a fine, or revoke the order and resentence the offender. Sentencing in individual cases is entirely a matter for the independent courts taking into account the circumstances of the case. Data showing the number of offenders who had a community order terminated early for failing to comply with their requirements in each of the last five years were provided in the answer to PQ 148214 this week. The corresponding proportions can be viewed in Table A4.22 of the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/981217/Probation_2020.ods.

Ministry of Justice: Apprentices

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Public Sector Apprenticeships Target, how many apprentices were employed in his Department in the financial year 2021-22; and what proportion of the total workforce in 2021-2022 were apprentices.

James Cartlidge: The Ministry of Justice is currently collating and quality assuring data on apprenticeships for 2021/22. Final figures are not yet available. The Cabinet Office, on behalf of the Civil Service, will be publishing a full breakdown of departmental performance on apprenticeships in the Autumn in line with previous years.Data for all departments between 2017 and 2021 is available on gov.uk.

Prison Sentences

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the annual cost to the public purse was of sentences of less than and up to 12 months in each year since 2010.

James Cartlidge: The information requested is not held. An average cost per prisoner, costs per prison place and overall prison unit costs for each private and public sector prison in England and Wales are, however, routinely published by Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). This information is produced annually and published after the end of each financial year on the gov.uk website. The number of prisoners by sentence length is also published on a quarterly basis under the Offender Management Statistics on the gov.uk website.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service: ICT

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what cost-benefit analysis has been conducted of the Common Platform.

James Cartlidge: I refer the honourable Member to the answer I gave on 16 December 2021 to PQ 91957 which advised: “A full cost benefit analysis of Common Platform was undertaken as a component part of the wider portfolio of investment in courts’ transformation. This analysis fully conformed to the Treasury’s “Green Book” - which provides detailed guidance in Chapter 6. Treasury guidance was followed and the portfolio level cost benefit analysis was subject to scrutiny and validation by the Government Major Projects Portfolio in February 2021 and approved, having met the required standard of a robust assessment of the costs and Benefits."

HM Courts and Tribunals Service: ICT

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of consultations with staff unions on the introduction of the Common Platform.

James Cartlidge: The HMCTS Crime Programme has engaged with trade unions throughout all phases of the introduction of Common Platform. Due to the pressures of the pandemic the normal routine of consultation was significantly disrupted. However, a programme of meaningful trade union engagement, focussing on ongoing implementation and future design, has now resumed.

Courts

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to tackle the backlog in court cases where there has been an accusation of rape or sexual assault.

James Cartlidge: The Government is committed to supporting the recovery of the courts for all court users, including cases where there has been an accusation of rape or sexual assault. Listing is a judicial function and judges continue to work to prioritise cases involving vulnerable complainants and witnesses, such as serious sex cases. In December 2021, the Government announced that Section 28 for sexual violence and modern slavery complainants, the legislation that allows vulnerable witnesses to pre-record evidence, will be rolled out nationally for this cohort. We are increasing funding for victim and witness support services from over £150 million in 2021/22 to over £185 million by 2024/25. This will fund more than 1,000 Independent Sexual and Domestic Violence Advisors as well as 24/7 crisis helplines and is an 85% increase on funding in 2019/20. We have extended 30 Nightingale courtrooms beyond the end of March 2022 and removed the limit on the number of days the Crown Court can sit in the 2021/22 financial year. To secure enough capacity to sit at the required levels in 2022/23 and beyond we are expanding our plans for judicial recruitment.These measures are already working, and as a result we expect to get through 20% more Crown Court cases this financial year than we did pre-Covid. Following an increase in funding as part of the Ministry of Justice’s Spending Review settlement, including £477m for recovery in the criminal courts, we aim to reduce the number of outstanding cases in the Crown Court to 53,000 by March 2025.

Courts

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to tackle the backlog in court cases that involve defendants who are parents or caregivers.

James Cartlidge: The Government is committed to supporting the recovery of the courts to reduce the backlog of cases and improve timeliness for all court users, including defendants who are parents or caregivers. Listing is a judicial function and judges continue to work to prioritise cases involving vulnerable complainants and witnesses, to seek to ensure that domestic abuse, serious sex cases and those with vulnerable witnesses (including youth cases) are listed at the first available opportunity, as well as custody time limit cases. We have extended 30 Nightingale courtrooms beyond the end of March 2022 and removed the limit on the number of days the Crown Court can sit in the 2021/22 financial year. In the magistrates’ court, we are taking a flexible approach to the listing of cases so that we use our court estate as efficiently as possible. To secure enough capacity to sit at the required levels in 2022/23 and beyond we are expanding our plans for judicial recruitment: we plan to recruit 102 Circuit Judges, 105 Recorders, and 4,000 new magistrates over the three-year Spending Review period (2022-25). These measures are already working, and as a result we expect to get through 20% more Crown Court cases this financial year than we did pre-Covid. Following an increase in funding as part of the Ministry of Justice’s Spending Review settlement, including £477m for recovery in the criminal courts, we aim to reduce the number of outstanding cases in the Crown Court to 53,000 by March 2025.

Courts

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to tackle the backlog in court cases that involve juvenile defendants.

James Cartlidge: Throughout the pandemic, youth cases have continued to be prioritised and regularly reviewed to ensure they are being listed as expeditiously as possible, especially cases that involve youths in custody and those where a child is almost 18. The listing of cases is a judicial function and judges continue to work to prioritise cases involving vulnerable complainants and witnesses.The Government is committed to supporting the recovery of the courts. We have extended 30 Nightingale courtrooms beyond the end of March 2022 and we removed the limit on the number of days the Crown Court can sit in the 2021/22 financial year. To secure enough capacity to sit at the required levels in 2022/23 and beyond we are expanding our plans for judicial recruitment.To provide additional capacity in the Crown Court we are extending magistrates’ court sentencing powers from 6 to 12 months’ imprisonment for a single Triable Either Way offence to allow more cases to be heard in the magistrates’ court and help to drive down the backlog of cases over the coming years.These measures are already working, and as a result we expect to get through 20% more Crown Court cases this financial year than we did pre-Covid. Following an increase in funding as part of the Ministry of Justice’s Spending Review settlement, including £477m for recovery in the criminal courts, we aim to reduce the number of outstanding cases in the Crown Court to 53,000 by March 2025. This will help all court users including those involved in cases with juvenile defendants.

Julian Assange

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to Answer of 29 March to Question 146727, how many meetings (a) he or (b) Ministers have attended since April 2019 in which the incarceration of Julian Assange was discussed.

James Cartlidge: The Secretary of State for Justice has not attended any meetings since April 2019 in which the incarceration of Julian Assange was discussed, nor have any current Ministry of Justice Ministers. The previous Minister for Prisons and Probation, the Rt Hon Lucy Frazer QC MP, met departmental officials once to discuss this issue.